The Eye of the Storm by Rob Wilson

Author:Rob Wilson [Rob Wilson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781849547765
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Published: 2014-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

Hunt believed that the Prime Minister’s support was crucial, as others took their lead from it. Other Cameron ministers featured in this book who have been through scandals and crises, notably Liam Fox and Andrew Mitchell, tend to concur with Hunt’s assessment. Either way, if the Prime Minister’s support helped Hunt survive, it didn’t do the same for Mitchell and Fox. Prime ministerial support is an essential prerequisite for an embattled Cabinet minister to survive, but it appears to be rare for the Downing Street machine to leap into action to protect someone. Behind the scenes, the minister might receive a message of moral support, but for the real work of battling through the storm, he and his team are on their own.

Hunt’s first five years at Westminster had not been without their problems and misfortunes. He was the subject of attacks in the media over comments he had made about the Hillsborough tragedy, where he wrongly suggested that the events were related to hooliganism and subsequently issued an apology. He had also been investigated by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner for a breach of the expenses rules, eventually repaying over £10,000, something his Liberal Democrat opponent attacked him for ferociously. He was also familiar with the stresses of running a business.

But the intensity of the BSkyB crisis made him realise for the first time the potential impact his political work could have on his family. There were several moments when Hunt really worried about the pressure on those closest to him. There was a realisation that things were no longer affecting only him. ‘Politicians are quite egocentric and certainly I had not appreciated that before this whole thing happened. Your good name has an impact on your wife when she goes out for coffee with her friends, or when she goes to work – whether you like it or not.

Hunt spent the Tuesday evening following the Michel bombshell with his family, explaining what was happening. However frightening they may have found it with the press camped outside their front door, they rallied round him, and continued to be a source of strength for Hunt throughout the whole process. One wonders whether Hunt, or any politician, could survive a protracted storm if the focus was on their family.

Hunt would need all the support he could get. The following morning’s newspaper headlines were devastating: the growing storm around him dominated the front pages. The Guardian, which had led the outcry over phone hacking, had a large picture of a smiling Hunt underneath the headline ‘Minister for Murdoch’. The staunchly Labour-supporting Mirror led with ‘Murdoch’s Stooges: Cabinet minister illegally tipped off Sky about £8 billion deal … and PM “caught lying”’. The free commuter paper Metro had a caption on the front page saying ‘Knives out for Hunt: minister faces calls to quit over Murdoch links’, whilst The Independent’s front-page headline was ‘Murdoch’s revenge’, with a caption saying ‘Culture Secretary urged to resign after explosive emails show his office briefed News Corp on £7.

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