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High-flying minister was implicated over Tory leak
Joe Murphy4 Dec 2008
A minister rapidly promoted by Gordon Brown is a former Treasury civil servant who was once prime suspect in a leak inquiry.
Government whip Helen Goodman wrote a secret report that embarrassed the former Conservative government when it fell into the hands of Gordon Brown, then shadow chancellor.
The curious leak of the report - Ms Goodman says she was cleared by her formerbosses - is being dragged up by Whitehall officials because it shows how dramatically the Prime Minister's attitude to leaks has changed.
Mr Brown had no hesitation in publishing the leaked report on the eve of a major economic debate in the Commons in the summer of 1996. It embarrassed the then-chancellor, Kenneth Clarke.
The report forecast, among other things, the privatisation of pensions by and welfare benefits.
When not working at the Treasury under her maiden name of Helen Goodman, the report's author was an ambitious Labour politician using her married name of Helen Seaford.
Oxford-educated Ms Goodman left the Treasury in 1997 and worked for charities until gaining the safe Labour seat of Bishop Auckland in 2005. She was promoted to deputy Commons leader under Harriet Harman when Mr Brown became leader in 2007. This autumn she moved to the whips office.
Reader views (3)
why are we shocked by this inept Government's antics? the sooner they're made redundant the better
- Toks, London, UK, 04/12/2008 16:04
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This explains why our PM has gone to ground yet again. He can't criticise anyone, when he was the main user of deliberate and politically motivated civil service leaks when in opposition himself. In his day though, it wasn't just embarassing information that was leaked, but full-blown policy documents and ministerial advice.
A problem for Cameron now though is being seen to encourage leaks now, when as PM himself in the future he will be arguing that it shouldn't be allowed.
- David H, Aylesbury, 04/12/2008 15:34
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She was in the Treasury under the Conservatives and writes a report critical of Conservative policy. She leaks her own report to Brown, who uses it to embarrass the Conservative government. Labour take office and she becomes a labour MP promoted by Brown.
Brown uses Anti Terror police to threaten all whistleblowers who are leaking and exposing the Labour party as incompetent and unfit for office as they said twice about Mandy.
Arrange the following in any order; deception, lies, nasty, hypochrisy, two-faced, incompetence, dishonesty. Then apply liberally to the Labour party.
- Jack, Stoke, 04/12/2008 11:44
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