Theresa May: The truth behind the great disappearing act

The nation’s media has been obsessing this week over John Darwin’s great disappearing act.  But while the press was reporting one suspect disappearance, there were five other cynical disappearing acts.

1. Where’s Jacqui?

Jacqui Smith wants to extend the period for which the police are allowed to detain terror suspects without charge.  We know that, because it was briefed to Thursday’s newspapers.  Afterwards, she published a written statement to Parliament – which turned out to be just one paragraph long.   

When he first became Prime Minister, Gordon Brown said: “we seek an all-party consensus on new provisions for pre-charge detention”.  But these proposals have been launched in a hurry without any consensus. Shami Chakrabati, from Liberty, says: “It seems more like politics than policy making”.  And she’s right.  But we didn’t get to put the very many questions we have about extending 28 days because Jacqui Smith failed to come to the House.

2. Where’s Harriet?

During her deputy leadership campaign, Harriet Harman took £5,000 from Janet Kidd.  But it turned out to be an illegal donation, because the money belonged in fact to David Abrahams.  And we have also learned that she borrowed £40,000 to pay for her campaign but, despite clear guidance, she failed to declare it to the Electoral Commission.

I have written to Harriet asking her a plethora of unanswered questions.  And I have twice called on her to make a statement to the House of Commons on the matter.  But she also refuses to come to the House, clarify her position, and take questions from MPs.   

3. Where’s Ed?

Just before the election-that-never-was, Ed Balls seemed to be all over the place.  But we haven’t seen much of him recently.  And now we know why.  Ben Brogan reports that Ed Balls spent yesterday playing Father Christmas at a Treasury Christmas party.  Apparently he owns his own complete Father Christmas outfit.  Probably the most comical of this week’s disappearing acts.

4. Where’s Douglas?

If Ed Balls is Gordon Brown’s right hand man, then Douglas Alexander is his left hand man.  And he too has gone quiet in recent weeks.  His sister is Wendy Alexander, Labour’s leader in Scotland, who is currently fighting for her political life following her dodgy donations from an overseas donor.  And he was also the Transport Secretary at the time that the Highways Agency overturned its ruling on David Abrahams’ planning application.  So it would have been very interesting to see him answer questions on the BBC’s ‘Question Time’ last night.  But unfortunately he pulled out at the last minute.

5. Where’s Gordon?

At a time when ministers are ducking for cover, it would be a surprise if Macavity the Cat himself didn’t get in on the act.  And he is.  Next week, the Government needs to send somebody to sign the renamed EU Constitution and pose for the traditional ‘family photograph’ of the assorted heads of government.  This is usually the job of the Prime Minister.  After all, he is the one who broke his word and agreed the Constitution without a referendum.  But it seems that Gordon doesn’t want to be photographed signing the hated treaty.  Yet another Government disappearing act.

So it’s not just John Darwin who wanted to go missing.  Five of the Government’s very top team have performed their own disappearing acts just this week.  How they must wish that their many and mounting problems could disappear.  Unfortunately for Labour, they won’t.

Comments

[Chad Noble]

Unfortunately, we don't need to ask 'Where's Ken?' - He was on Question Time, making the Conservative case for extending State Funding of political parties. Pah.

[Sam R]

Where are Jacqui et al?
Maybe gone for a freebie pre-holiday (mustnt say Christmas)break, just like their former leader. More important - any aircraft of the Queen's Flight out of the country?

[London Tory]

Where's Caroline Spelman ?

[Tony Makara]

They have clearly decided that its better to keep their heads down with so much bad press of late. I certainly agree with the point about Mr Balls, there was a time when seemed to be omnipotent on TV. Typical fairweather Labour politicians, rest assured though that they will be back on our screens the moment they have some new falsehood to present.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Of course I agree with this, but I do feel sometimes we are not in such a great position to preach.Too many of the Shadow Cabinet are invisible outside the Westminster village and we should be using every opportunity (Any Questions , Question Time etc) to promote them to the electorate.
That's why it was disappointing to see Ken Clarke on Question Time even though he easily took care of poor Lady Ashton who was out of her depth.

[Phil Whittington]

"Nevermind John Darwin, where have Jacqui, Harriet, Ed, Douglas and Gordon been?"

I think it's spelt Bean! ;)

[Dick Wishart]

I agree with you Malcolm Dunn, however there is an even better prospect to look forward to on next weeks QT, CHRIS PATTEN is going to be on AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH

[John Leonard]

Chad Noble -

Fully agree with your sentiments.

I haven't seen last night's Question Time but knowing that one of the Conservatives most senior statist, centralist (anti-localist), (anti-democratic) parliamentarians was appearing is hardly an advert to watch it.

Comrade Clarke is one of the party's biggest liabilities. Dinosaurs like him will cost the party dearly!

Shame he doesn't adopt the approach that these Labour 'fearties' have adopted and run away and hide!

Back on topic it's a shame that these Labour AWOL's don't follow Darwin's example to the letter and disappear to some obscure foreign clime for a few years.

But of course they won't, like everything else Labour does, this has been done in a half baked, clumsy and incompetent fashion. What else can we expect?

[Malcolm Dunn]

Chris Patten? Oh great! Does anyone know who chooses the 'Conservative' representative, the party or the BBC? If it's the party, the person responsible should be fired.

[Patsy Sergeant]

Is Chris Patten a 'Conservative Representative'?? I thought he had been doing work for this labour government in some capacity since he came back to this country.

Although I also agree with you Malcolm Dunn, as I said on another thread, it would be better to make quite sure that the less well-known members of the Shadow Cabinet, would be able to hold their own on the Question Time panel, after all we would hardly benefit from them creating the impression that 'poor Lady Ashton' did!

[Where's Boris]

Where's Boris? Dodgy dealings at City Hall and all he can do is write to Red Ken. Londoners deserve better than the lazy Bullingdon buffoon.

[Where's Boris]

Even Matthew Carrington is worried about our absent London Mayoral candidate. Ben Brogan is on the case.

http://broganblog.dailymail.co.uk/2007/12/its-all-down-to.html

[campaigner]

Whats Harriets job???Equality and human rights - well a bit of it... gender and sexual orientation
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (Patrick Diamond, Head of Strategy, EHRC) said - The challenge of navigating the complex machinery of Government in terms of equality and human rights – in Whitehall and in the devolved regions. A particular challenge is the dispersal of responsibilities across departments, including DCLG, DWP and the Ministry of Justice. These responsibilities need to be knitted together to form a coherent whole. http://tpa.typepad.com/waste/2007/11/equality-shambl.html

Equality quangos have all been banged together under Trev, equality reponsibility at ministerial level is still all over the place. Yes, there is the brand new Government Equality Office (GEO), under Harriet Harman, and that is the sponsoring department for Phillips' EHRC.

http://tpa.typepad.com/waste/2007/11/equality-shambl.html

But only "gender and sexual orientation are under GEO: race and belief are staying at the Department for Communities and Local Government (or “handling extremism” as Blears puts it), and disability is staying at the Department for Work and Pensions. Age? Who knows!"

So despite all that waffle about a unified approach and a single Equalities Act (still somewhere in the long stinging nettles), it's yet another dog's breakfast of indecision and muddled reponsibilities.

EHRC rebranding costs because the figures were given to the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee (see report here). It was a third of a million quid, paid to an outfit called 35 Communications. Presumably they were the ones who came up with the new logo = yes thats it =

The Committee also highlighted the shambolic and expensive way the three separate quangos were banged into one.Naturally, consultants were hired to tell them what to do: Ernst & Young, who charged £0.5m for the pleasure. But they were hired before Phillips arrived on the scene, and were reporting to a gentleman by the name of Patrick Boyle. Boyle was the CEHR transitional programme director, put in post in 2006 to make sure the new organisation could hit the ground running.But when Phillips was appointed earlier this year, he didn't want that. He wanted his own consultants. So he fired Ernst & Young and hired Towers Perrin instead. At a further cost of £0.4m. Oh, and he "exited" Boyle as well