Tony Blair was warned Alastair Campbell had lost ‘all credibility’, documents show

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Prime minister Tony Blair was warned that the No 10 press workplace had misplaced “all credibility” beneath his combative communications chief Alastair Campbell, in accordance with newly launched official recordsdata.

Papers launched by the Nationwide Archives present Mr Blair’s non-public secretary, Jeremy Heywood, suggested him that his authority was being undermined as a result of Downing Road was seen as a “politically-dominated spin machine”.

The warnings adopted a sequence of bruising rows between the Labour authorities and the BBC over its protection of the US-UK invasion of Iraq in 2003.

After Mr Campbell introduced he was standing down after 9 years as considered one of Mr Blair’s most trusted aides, Mr Heywood urged the prime minister to take the chance to hold out an entire overhaul of the No 10 press operation.

“The No 10 press workplace has misplaced all credibility as a dependable, truthful, goal operation. Even respectable journalists deal with it with warning – a part of a relentless politically-dominated spin machine,” he wrote.

“Though everyone knows that is monstrous, it has change into the settled view of all the British media and political institution. That is disastrous for the authority of your personal workplace.”

Mr Campbell’s departure got here after months of more and more acrimonious relations between the federal government and sections of the media amid the failure to uncover Saddam Hussein’s supposed weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which had been the justification for the invasion.

On 19 March, the day the invasion started, Mr Blair despatched BBC chairman Gavyn Davies a blistering letter complaining concerning the company’s protection.

“I consider, and I’m not alone in believing, that you haven’t bought the stability proper between assist and dissent; between information and remark; between the voices of the Iraqi regime and Iraqi dissidents; or between the diplomatic assist we now have, and diplomatic opposition,” he wrote.

“I’ve by no means written to you or your predecessor on this method earlier than, however I’ve heard and seen sufficient to really feel I ought to achieve this now.”

Anji Hunter, one other of the prime minister’s shut aides, prompt Mr Davies – a former Labour Occasion member – in all probability thought Mr Blair “has some extent” however would really feel compelled to reply with a “magisterial rebuke” as a result of BBC director basic Greg Dyke had been copied into the letter.

“GD clearly feels in a tough place viz this – assume he would have most well-liked a quiet cellphone name from you,” she wrote.

The papers additionally present Mr Campbell prompt threatening the BBC with authorized motion over a Radio 4 Right this moment programme report that the federal government had “sexed up” an intelligence file on Iraqi WMD issued within the run-up to the battle to strengthen the case for battle.

“If the BBC stay belligerent, I feel the rhetoric needs to be stepped up, as much as and together with the specter of placing the problem within the arms of legal professionals,” he wrote.