Hague's Handling of Archer Crisis Sparks Humiliation

Tory leader William Hague's efforts to reclaim the initiative over the Jeffrey Archer scandal have been overshadowed by embarrassing scenes at a byelection campaign event, where he was deterred from visiting local firefighters by a Labour party protest and later became frustrated by his own party's shadow cabinet members. The crisis has highlighted concerns over Hague's judgment and ability to manage his party's image, with critics pointing to his decision not to refer Archer to the ethics committee earlier.

Key Takeaways:

• Hague's decision not to refer Archer to the ethics committee earlier has been widely criticized, with some party grandees expressing private reservations about the move.
• The whip was withdrawn from Archer only hours after Hague declared he had 'no view' on the matter, leaving the impression that the party was reacting belatedly to the crisis.
• Shadow cabinet members, including Michael Ancram and Tommy Strathclyde, were summoned to central office to agree on the course of action, highlighting the extent of the crisis within the party.
• Steven Norris, the frontrunner to replace Archer as the Tories' mayoral candidate, said the sudden interest in the ethics committee was 'long overdue', underlining the perception that the party had been slow to respond.
• Sources:

+ Tony Blair, in a pointed description of Hague's handling of the Archer crisis, said Hague 'may be good at telling jokes but every time you come to a critical question of judgment he gets it wrong.'

+ Jeffrey Archer, who resigned as a Tory peer, was described by Hague as a man of 'probity and integrity', only to be later implicated in a scandal.

+ William Hague, in a statement, said the party was given 'false assurances' by Archer and acted quickly and correctly once an allegation had been substantiated.

+ ITN's Michael Brunson was briefed about the meeting between Hague and his seniors and announced the developments on the lunchtime news.

Statistics:

• 1: The number of hours it took for the whip to be withdrawn from Archer after Hague declared he had 'no view' on the matter.
• 2.30pm: The time of the scheduled meeting at Kensington fire station, at which Hague was deterred from attending.
• 10: The number of Labour activists seen running up to Michael Portillo holding banners saying 'Same old Tories, same old sleaze'.
• Sunday: The day on which it was reported that John Major's office had dismissed speculation that he would be an ideal candidate to stand as mayor.
• Thursday: The date of the byelection in Kensington and Chelsea.