Senior members of the Opposition do not demand resignations of Government ministers lightly.
You generally need to wait until you know that the individual is skewered and then go for the kill. Former shadow home secretary David Davis is a past master at the art.
And this afternoon, George Osborne has opted to turn the screw on Lord Myners, the Treasury minister who has previously claimed to Parliament (in the House of Lords and through evidence to the Treasury select committee) that he did not know about the details of Sir Fred Goodwin's RBS pension.
Yet today Sir Tom McKillop, the former RBS chairman, has written this letter to the Treasury select committee in which he asserts that Lord Myners had not "accurately represented" what he knew.
The senior Tory on the committee, Michael Fallon, has already said today that "the decent thing" for Lord Myners to do would be to resign. And George Osborne now senses blood.
In a Commons debate on the economy, he invited Chancellor Alistair Darling to agree that:
The Chancellor's reply hardly demonstrated full support for his ministerial colleague:
That hardly amounts to the "full confidence" a Downing Street spokesman said that the Prime Minister had in Lord Myners at the end of February.
Jonathan Isaby
Once again George going after the man. It really is time Osborne come up with policies and stopped this idiot complaining about ministers all the time. All this is about is its a smokescreen to cover the party`s totally lack of ideas and policies. It really is pathetic.
Posted by: Jack Stone | March 31, 2009 at 17:49
Jack Stone, get a job.
Posted by: RichardJ | March 31, 2009 at 17:58
This government is falling apart at the seams! You couldn't make it up! You couldn't make it up!Made my day again!
Posted by: Freddy | March 31, 2009 at 18:02
As much as I like that we are starting to aggressively go after people who have helped screw this country over, and bring them to account, this stinks.
George Osborne said that "unless Lord Myners can, by the end of the day, prove that what he told the Treasury Select Committee was true, he has to resign". Why? Surely we should have to prove that what he told the Treasury Select Committee was false?
I want to live in a country governed where I am innocent until proven guilty, despite accusations which may be made against me.
Posted by: AJJM | March 31, 2009 at 18:12
From Tom McKillop's letter, it seems that other members of the Government may also have something to explain. The Government's confidential discussions with the Bank's management on 10th-12th Oct were leaked to the BBC, 'exacerbating a difficult situation'. Who was responsible for that ?
Posted by: johnC | March 31, 2009 at 18:13
Would you agree that unless Jack Stone can prove by the end of the day that he is not a Labour stooge - then he should resign from this site.
Posted by: Rod Sellers | March 31, 2009 at 18:16
Lord Myners should be reminded that he was on the NatWest Board in 1999 when it sacked its Chief Executive, Derek Wanless- another failed banker. Wanless was 51 and got a full package along the same lines as Sir Fred
Myners must have known this and what Bank practives are when its staff retire under the normal retirement age of 60
And he is described as a pension expert!
Posted by: michael m | March 31, 2009 at 18:23
Its a pity we cannot see more of G Osborne on our screens he really can get his points across, I watched the Economy Debate today, and was shocked that A Darling would not reply when Osborne asked him on the small business question "it is now the 3lst March and there is still no help for them please tell me why" A Darling looked so guilty and retreated from the question. What hope have we with this Labour Government.
Three generations of voting Labour never again.
Posted by: adge | March 31, 2009 at 18:39
Rod Sellers. I would have thought a better thing to demand was a shadow chancellor with some policies. Osborne as none!!!
Posted by: Jack Stone | March 31, 2009 at 19:10
I believe that, if Jack Stone cannot prove that English is his second language, he should resign from this site.
It's such a disappointment Jack - after all the effort put into helping you with your spelling and punctuation you produce the text at 1749.
Tut, tut!
Posted by: John Coles | March 31, 2009 at 19:22
Well done George.
Funnily enough you mention the 1749 post by Jack (he was clearly hiding in wait to pounce and get first comment) Does he have a 'foreign' keyboard? Note the apostrophe on party's, he has written party`s, the apostrophe is an accent. I also have a foreign keyboard, being in Spain as I am: áèñç¿ etc. Or am I reading too much into a typo?
Posted by: Span Ows | March 31, 2009 at 20:01
"Once again George going after the man. It really is time Osborne come up with policies and stopped this idiot complaining about ministers all the time. All this is about is its a smokescreen to cover the party`s totally lack of ideas and policies. It really is pathetic."
If you really believe that then you're a complete fool!
Posted by: Andrew S | March 31, 2009 at 20:10
Not disagreeing with Osborne, but Labour people have lied repeatedly over years, I can't help wondering why the Tory front bench seems to care about this occasion when it's shown little sign of caring before.
Posted by: Alex Swanson | March 31, 2009 at 20:21
Let's not be too hard on Jack! After all he has admitted that his dog helps him write his posts.
Posted by: Sally Roberts | March 31, 2009 at 20:33
Jack Straw: George Osborne does not have to come up with any policies as everyone knows, all the Labour policies are wrong which we all have to live and survive with. Although, I am sure when the Conservative Party take over they will bring forward their own honest policies and see them through, unlike the Labour party say one thing do another. Apart from that I do also believe its Osborne’s Golden Egg don’t disclose your policies it needles the Labour Party so much - we all know they cant think for themselves, and have pinched many of the Conservative ideas before today.
Posted by: adge | March 31, 2009 at 20:40
And yet again Little George is merely following where Michael Fallon has already trod. It's excruciating and infuriating watching an amateur follow a pro.
Posted by: Mark Hudson | March 31, 2009 at 21:27
While I think Myners was not careful or sensitive over the Goodwin pensio,it is reasonable for him to claim that he had weightier matters on his mind than Goodwins pension.
And when did McKillop become a 'sword of truth'. Uo to now it it has been assumed that he was Goodwin's sock puppet
Posted by: Anthony Scholefield | March 31, 2009 at 21:36
Sally,
Is his dog called Derek, perhaps?
PS The real mystery is this site's continued tolerance of a proven troll, as pointed out by about a dozen of us.
Posted by: Super Blue | March 31, 2009 at 22:11
Re Mark Hudson: I think you have left yourself wide open there, in my opinion the Labour party are all armatures and have not reached the professional stage yet, e.g. Europe Minister Caroline Flint, who admitted today that she hasn't read the Lisbon Treaty, nor even been briefed on it in its entirety.
Posted by: adge | March 31, 2009 at 22:43
This is all very well, but the latest bit of sleaze to emerge is Jacqui Lait`s claiming £6,836 mileage for trips to her constituencey in 2007-8 plus £15,748 towards the cost of her constituency home. Article in the Telegraph today complete with pictures and a mention in the editorial about April 1st.
Perhaps this is why the Conservatives didn`t put the knife into the other Jacqui.
No wonder the public thinks "they`re all at it".
Posted by: 17 (jha | April 01, 2009 at 08:31
Sally. You have to write about me as you can`t exactly write about Tory party policies. They have none.
Posted by: Jack Stone | April 01, 2009 at 12:47
Jock Stale knows that there are a lot of Conservative policies but he is too stupid and lazy to locate them.
Posted by: Super Blue | April 01, 2009 at 16:07
"PS The real mystery is this site's continued tolerance of a proven troll, as pointed out by about a dozen of us."
Reverse intelligence is sometimes stunningly useful, points you to where you might not thought of looking. Diamonds are after all found in heaps of dirt.
The art of entrail reading keeps the Ed up all hours I am sure. It is not an easy job this you know, : Is he being crass or is he trying to make me lose focus and let something slip?
Posted by: snegchui | April 01, 2009 at 17:56
Exactly often its the biggest stick that is wanted. A site like this without trolls would be less entertaining and very much less democratic. Gads even the loons can have their say, and this is an essential function of the democratic debate, that it helps keep us sane.
" Is he being crass or is he trying to make me lose focus and let something slip?"
Thats a little paranoid isn't it? If we imagine ourselves important maybe the world will also.
"Tory party policies. They have none."
Oh but we do have policies this is a case of knowing full well how such policy might be presented.
We have dark blue policies that will see a return of Methodism, and which will have much of the thrust of christianity emblazon splendidly upon it. This is going to be a moral revolution none of that PC crap. We are going to set alight the fire of a counter revolution.
Posted by: The Bishop Swine | April 01, 2009 at 20:36
Has Myners gone yet? if not why not?!
It would set be a lasting memorial to browns lack of due diligence in his handling of the banks.
Go get him!
Posted by: pp | April 02, 2009 at 14:16
"Let's not be too hard on Jack! After all he has admitted that his dog helps him write his posts." L.O.L.
Jack serves a purpose here. Maybe he is simply an Agent Provocateur, or more likely a fully paid up member of Labour's central committee. In either case his posts often provoke excellent responses. Like resident leftie, I welcome his views as they give us something to argue with.
Posted by: Ross Warren | April 02, 2009 at 14:49