PM spin row spirals over bad news buried by Diana report

A total of four major government announcements were made on the same day that Lord Stevens delivered his milestone verdict on the death of the Princess.

It was also the same day chosen by the Prime Minister to be interviewed by Scotland Yard detectives, leading to claims that Mr Blair buried his own bad news under the much bigger headlines devoted to the royal tragedy.

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It led MPs to accuse the Government of deliberately using the Diana report to cover up a string of controversies that might otherwise have dominated the headlines for days.

One Whitehall official told the Standard: "It is clear to us that announcements were deliberately crowded onto the same day. The effect was to minimise publicity for a string of matters that would otherwise have been prominent. They also helped to divert attention even more away from the Prime Minister's police interview."

Government announcements rushed out yesterday included controversial expansion at Heathrow and other airports issued by Douglas Alexander, the Transport Secretary, the closure of 2,500 post offices announced by Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling and the dramatic halting of a fraud probe apparently at the behest of the Saudi royal family.

The latter was seen as one of the most ground-breaking events of the year with major implications for the criminal justice system and relations in the Middle East yet it was slipped out at 5.50pm. There was also a White Paper proposing to end the need for fertility clinics to consider the needs of the father, thus clearing the way for same-sex couples to be given IVF treatment.

Chris Grayling, the shadow transport secretary, said it was clearly spin of the most tasteless sort to issue so many reports on the day of the Diana verdict.

"Five years after Labour launched the concept of burying bad news, Mr Blair's spin doctors are back to their old tricks," he said.

"What is even more disturbing is that the Government appears to have used as an alibi something that is of great importance and deep poignancy to the nation as a whole.

"If the government has something to say, they should say it openly."

The impact of the deluge was that several newspaper front pages today did not feature the extraordinary story that the Prime Minister had been questioned in a criminal police investigation.

The key official in charge of announcements is David Hill, director of communications at No 10 and one of Mr Blair's closest and most loyal political officials.

The term "bury bad news" was coined by former Labour spin doctor Jo Moore five years ago when she wrote an infamous memo to civil servants on the day of the Twin Towers tragedy instructing them that it was now "a good day" on which to slip out awkward facts.