Tories Demand Apology from Gordon Brown over Smear Campaign Exposed in Leaked Emails

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing demands for a personal apology after it emerged that his aide, Damian McBride, had discussed with another staffer, Derek Draper, a plan to create a blog smear campaign against Conservative opponents. The revelation has sparked outrage, with Tory politicians condemning the move as "blatant lies cooked up in Downing Street." The leaked emails, obtained by right-wing blogger Paul Staines, reveal that McBride and Draper were planning to spread unfounded gossip about Conservative opponents, including rumors about the health of shadow chancellor George Osborne's wife and accusations of a Tory MP promoting his partner's business interests in the Commons. The scandal has led to McBride's resignation, and pressure is building on Brown to explain how such defamatory comments came to be issued from Downing Street.

Key Takeaways:

• Damian McBride, a key aide to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, resigned after admitting to sending "juvenile and inappropriate" emails that discussed a plan to create a smear campaign against Conservative opponents.
• The leaked emails, obtained by right-wing blogger Paul Staines, revealed that McBride and Draper planned to spread unfounded gossip about Conservative opponents, including rumors about shadow chancellor George Osborne's wife and accusations of a Tory MP promoting his partner's business interests in the Commons.
• Tory politicians, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, have condemned the move as "blatant lies cooked up in Downing Street," with Grayling demanding that Brown apologize for the scandal.
• Mid Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries revealed that she was among four Tories featured in the emails, and called for the Prime Minister to say sorry.
• Brown's statement denying knowledge of the emails was met with skepticism, with Grayling saying "The detail now emerging is shocking and completely unacceptable."
• McBride stated that he was "shocked and appalled" at the way the emails had been used, and Draper said McBride was paying "a high price" for material that he had not chosen to publish.

Statistics:

• 4 Conservative MPs were mentioned in the leaked emails, including Nadine Dorries.
• 1 email was sent by Damian McBride to Derek Draper in January, discussing the plan to create a smear campaign against Conservative opponents.
• 1 blog, Red Rag, was planned to be set up to spread the smears, but it was never published due to the leak of the emails.
• The Prime Minister's statement denying knowledge of the emails was made on the day of the scandal breaking.

Sources:

• "Gordon Brown on the brink as allies demand apology over smear email row," The Telegraph, 2009
• "Brown aide quits over 'smear' emails," BBC News, 2009
• "Tory MP's anger over leaked emails," The Sunday Times, 2009