Was Gordon in on Smith's secret?

The story that illegal immigrants were being employed to guard Gordon Brown's car and work in Scotland Yard, was bad.

But the exclusive from the excellent Ben Brogan this morning tells an even worse tale. The Home Secretary knew for four months and kept it secret.

This means, of course, that she was keeping it secret during a period when an election was being planned and that it was due to be revealed, if it was ever revealed, only after the voting was over.

This afternoon, Jacqui Smith will speak to the Commons.

Here's a question I'd like to know the answer to. Did anyone tell Number 10 about this in the last four months?

It would be extraordinary, given its seriousness, if they did not. But if they did, was Number 10 complicit in the cover up?

Comments

[Richard]

Wouldn't surprise me at all if No.10 hadn't been told. First, who tells the boss they screwed up if they can help it? And second, I think New Labour are prime exponents of plausible deniability. The dear leader must be insulated at all costs!

Haven't read up on the detail, but I'm assuming this was a private security contractor. If so, maybe they'll learn a lesson about the dangers of outsourcing...

[David Moss]

If you wanted to implement ID cards in the UK and if you surveyed the talent available in Whitehall, would you choose the Home Office to do the job?

[David Moss]

"... was Number 10 complicit in the cover up?"

Let us hope so.

Gordon Brown's one claim to fame is that he is a Stalinist control freak.

If he can't even do that properly, then he is going to be severely embarrassed when he meets his fellow heads of government.

I mean, they can do big things. They can cut off the oil in the middle of a Ukrainian winter, they can declare martial law, they can expropriate all the farms.

What can Gordon do? More or less eradicate NHS dentistry? It's pathetic. The other leaders are going to laugh at him.

And if he's embarrassed, so are we. That's our leader there. The man who represents us at the EU and NATO and the G8 and the Commonwealth and in the White House and Russia and China and India.

W've got to have confidence in him. Haven't we? Otherwise he should go. Shouldn't he?

Go to the country, that is, call a general election. As soon as possible.

Unless he can prove beyond doubt that he knew all about the SIA cover-up. Preferably with Treasury memos. Because if he didn't, he's no use to us.

[Graham]

If you wanted to implement ID cards in the UK and if you surveyed the talent available in Whitehall, would you choose _anyone_ to do the job?

[R Bates]

How on earth have we ended up with such a bunch of 3rd rate incompetents running the country

[David Moss]

This business has nothing to do with the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

Nothing. The SIA is a herring. A red one.

The law says that it is the employer's responsibility to check the right to work in the UK of all its employees.

The Home Office didn't do that. The Metropolitan Police didn't do that. They broke the law.

What has that got to do with the SIA? Zilch, as they say in the US. And how long before the US declare us to be an illegal state?

Will IBM be allowed to continue to do business here? Or Accenture? Or EDS? Or Perot? Soon, not even Blackwater will be able to do business here.

You want to do business with a state whose Home Office breaks its own laws? Try telling that to the Congressional Committee.

[oldasiahand]

They were guarding Brown's car! How hysterical.

[Roz Venner]

Of course Brown knew and ensured that nothing would surface because he was considering an election. Voters should remember this well, as all the other things he has got so very wrong, when he finally does call an election.

[Rick]

This 'government' is an abject failure from top to bottom. Nevertheless, no-one will be held accountable, no-one will admit they are responsible and no-one will have to tender their resignation for their shortcomings.

This is starting to resemble the type of government they have to endure in Zimbabwe. The people at the top cling desperately to office so that they can lap up the trappings of office. Cronyism is rife, taxes go up endlessly, inflation is on the up again, Stalinist re-distributive policies are all the rage.
This country is in a real mess.

[Sally C]

They were only guarding his car. Is she guarding his back?

[Curly]

Jacqui Smith did not sound altogether confident during her performance in the Commons this afternoon, yet she kept repeating that employers have a legal duty to do the necessary checks.

The Opposition failed to capitalise on this failure of the Home Office to act as an employer.

[Alan, Bucks]

It is inconceivable that this information was withheld for months from the Prime Minister. If it had been withheld, The Home Secretary should have been sacked forthwith.
It is clear that a General Election was being planned and that this damaging information was being hidden with the full agreement of Brown.