The BBC’s Chief Political Correspondent, Laura Kuenssberg, yesterday tweeted remarks made by David Cameron about the need for more discussion within the coalition before decisions are made. Simon Hughes’ intervention on council tenancies appears to indicate that the Prime Minister has failed to heed his own advice.
Yesterday afternoon, Laura Kuenssberg tweeted:
“The PM says coalition is a ‘proper partnership’ but there has to be more discsussions and ‘workings out’ before decisions are made”
But just a day later, Simon Hughes tells the Evening Standard’s Paul Waugh:
“The ideas put forward by David Cameron this week in no way represent the policy of the coalition and certainly do not represent the policy of the Liberal Democrats.
“We will not let anybody have their homes taken away. We must continue to suppport established and cohesive communities where people have the security of knowing that they will continue to have a home.”
What Paul Waugh reveals next is revealing:
I’m told (not by the man himself, I stress) that Mr Hughes ‘exploded’ last night when he heard of the Cameron words.
He had first got wind of the controversial proposal recently when Andrew Stunnell flagged it up in the party hierarchy. He warned ministers that the party should ‘not touch this with a bargepole’ but it seems there was confusion as to whether Nick Clegg was alerted of the concerns.
Crucially, Hughes appears to have been assured that no announcement was going to be made on the subject until after discussions within the coalition.
Although Simon Hughes had urged the government to “slow down” on cuts to housing benefit, sounded a warning shot on the VAT rise, and indicated his initial desire for a Lib-Lab coalition, Mr Hughes has – until this point – been a strong public defender of the coalition’s policies. Just two weeks ago, he wrote in the Guardian, “in 10 weeks we have achieved greater political change than I could have ever imagined.” If Cameron wants him to return to this championing role, he’ll need to consult him a bit more.
UPDATE 14.09
After Simon Hughes tells the World at One, “It is not a Liberal Democrat policy, it is not a coalition policy. It was not in the election manifesto of either party, it was not in the coalition agreement.”, Sunder Katwala observes at Next Left that:
“Downing Street wanted to make very clear indeed that that Nick Clegg bloke was obviously not speaking for the government when, erm, taking Prime Minister’s questions as deputy Prime Minister.
“Perhaps they could now tell us if the same applies to the PM.”
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28 Responses to “David Cameron should listen to his own advice”
Mind In Flux
RT @leftfootfwd: With Simon Hughes on the "warpath", David Cameron should listen to his own advice http://bit.ly/aLkhWa
Anon E Mouse
Alan W – Absolutely agree but it is fun. Far better than the serious running of our country we had before.
Cameron was right on Pakistan, Israel and China (previously) and it is so refreshing to just have someone actually say it and not back down.
Cleggers is just great and gets my vote everytime.
Where else could you do disastrously in a general election and still be Deputy Prime Minister… bet Gordon Brown cries himself to sleep every night… love it…
rebjn
@Alan W
Maybe this will induce a culture change – where ideas are floated and discussed/debated by the media and country before they’re even considered as policy. I hate how in the current system governments aren’t able to scrap rubbish policy ideas (following parliamentary debate) without it being portrayed as a humiliating u-turn. It really risks crap ideas becoming law for the sake of saving face, or radical stuff never seeing the light of day.
Tom King
Simon Hughes 'exploded' over Cameron's ideas for social housing http://bit.ly/9hiZlR
Shamik Das
See also -> RT @leftfootfwd: With Simon Hughes on the "warpath", David Cameron should listen to his own advice http://bit.ly/aLkhWa