Blair drops complaint over Queen Mother stories

Downing Street has dropped its complaint over articles that Tony Blair's aides sought a more prominent role for the Prime Minister at the lying–in–state of the Queen Mother.

Acting chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, Professor Robert Pinker, said the matter had been resolved between Number 10 and three publications involved, The Spectator, the Evening Standard and the Mail on Sunday.

The publications accepted the Prime Minister was not involved in contact between Downing Street civil servants and Black Rod's office to discuss Mr Blair's role in the ceremony, Prof Pinker said.

"Following the submissions from the newspapers concerned, while it is agreed there was contact between Number 10 civil servants and Black Rod's office to discuss what was expected of the Prime Minister in the proceedings, all of the papers make clear that they accept that the Prime Minister was not involved in any of these contacts," Prof Pinker said

"Following an approach by the PCC, Downing Street has now indicated that it considers the matter resolved on this basis and the file has therefore been closed."

The complaint was made by No 10 officials last month, objecting to the two newspapers' and magazine's implication that Mr Blair had tried to boost his role in the Queen Mother's lying–in–state at Westminster Hall in April.

Prof Pinker said as a matter of public interest he was publishing an exchange of letters between Alastair Campbell, the Downing Street communications director, and the PCC's deputy director Timothy Toulmin who dealt with the complaint.

Mr Toulmin said all parties were agreed that contact did take place between No 10 civil servants and Black Rod's office over what was expected of the Prime Minister during the lying–in–state ceremony.

The dispute arose over the interpretation of these contacts, Mr Toulmin said.

"The publications concerned say they have sources, whose identity they do not wish to divulge, whose account of these contacts is clearly at odds with the account of the civil servants involved at Number 10.

"Regardless of what investigations we mount into this, it is my view that the PCC will never be in a position fully to ascertain the facts and this issue will remain a matter largely of interpretation."

None of the three publications concerned had produced evidence in their defence that the Prime Minister himself was in any way involved in the contact or at any stage did anything wrong or sought for himself a greater role in proceedings, Mr Toulmin said.

He asked Mr Campbell: "As your main concern has always been to have it agreed and accepted that the Prime Minister did nothing wrong or disrespectful, I wonder if on that basis you would consider that this is a suitable outcome to the complaint and that the matter is now resolved accordingly?"

In his reply yesterday, Mr Campbell said: "You are right that our purpose in all this has been to have it accepted that it was false to claim that the Prime Minister sought to exploit the death of the Queen Mother, to enhance his role in the proceedings or that he did anything wrong or disrespectful to the Queen Mother and the Royal Family.

"For our part, as our evidence to you makes clear, we believe the civil servants did nothing more than seek to establish what was expected of the Prime Minister.

"They are professional career civil servants whose loyalty is to the government of the day, whatever its political persuasion, and whose honesty and trustworthiness the Prime Minister does not doubt."

Mr Campbell said he believed any adjudication would find that the Prime Minister had "nothing whatever to do with these contacts, had never sought to enhance his role or exploit the Queen Mother's death in any way".

He added: "It also seems to me that your investigation has already proved that point and accordingly we see no need to pursue the matter further.

"The Prime Minister is content with your clear view that there is no suggestion that he was in any way involved in any discussions about seeking a greater role in the arrangements or indeed that he was even aware such discussions were taking place, and that any suggestion that he sought such a role is false.

"However, he wants to make it clear that should the newspapers concerned, or other newspapers, seek to suggest otherwise, following publication of exchange of this correspondence, he will wish to go back to the PCC and request a definitive ruling."

Later, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said Downing Street was "very happy" that the matter had been resolved.

He went on: "What has been established beyond doubt is that the Prime Minister did not in any way try to enhance his role in the Queen Mother's funeral.

"The suggestion otherwise was not only deeply offensive but also completely wrong. And as the PCC letter makes clear, none of the three publications have produced evidence in their defence that the Prime Minister himself was in any way involved in any of this or that he at any stage did anything wrong, or sought for himself a greater role in proceedings."

He added: "We are absolutely clear that the officials did not in any way seek to change the Prime Minister's role, but simply sought guidance as to what the Prime Minister's role was going to be, and we stand by that absolutely.

"We at the same time accept that when conversations between individuals are concerned, that is a matter for interpretation and there is a limit to what the PCC can do. It can establish fact but it cannot rule on interpretation of private conversations."

The spokesman stressed: "Asking for clarification is not in any way trying to enhance a role. It is ensuring a common understanding of guidelines. That is all that we ever did. We in no way tried to enhance the Prime Minister's role, that is absolutely our position."