Letter: Who'll vouch for it?
Sir: Despite being given an emphatic denial of your story "Blair set to accept Tory nursery vouchers" (5 December), John Rentoul stated as a matter of fact both that Tony Blair had decided to accept the Government's nursery vouchers scheme, and that David Blunkett was considering a plan to trump it by offering higher-value vouchers. To substantiate his story, Mr Rentoul quotes anonymous "sources" saying Mr Blair is "sympathetic" to the shift in policy. I have no way of knowing who these sources may be, but they are talking rot. The first Mr Blair knew of this notion was when I told him Mr Rentoul was writing about it. The first Mr Blunkett knew of the plan to "trump" the vouchers scheme was likewise when he heard of Mr Rentoul's latest effort. As the story has given rise to a number of calls from interested parties, I would be grateful if you could publish this letter.
Yours sincerely,
Alastair Campbell
Press Secretary to Tony Blair
House of Commons
London, SW1
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