"The parliamentary ombudsman was last night pitched on to a collision course with Downing Street after the government banned her from investigating any ministerial conflict of interest.
Ann Abraham warned she would no longer be able to fulfil her role as a key figure in the drive against secrecy and sleaze within Whitehall and threatened to resign because of the "difficulties" placed in her way...
It followed an unprecedented ban issued by...the lord chancellor and constitutional affairs secretary, preventing her from probing whether the prime minister and cabinet ministers have had conflicts between their private interests and public duties.
...The furore blew up over a request from the Guardian seeking disclosure of all potential conflicts of interests facing ministers since 1999, and asking what action had been taken to ensure no problems arose. The government refused to answer, prompting the Guardian to lodge a complaint with the ombudsman. She was blocked for 10 months by No 10 before ministers resorted to the certificate, forcing her to abandon the investigation...
At the same time, Ms Abraham issued a second highly critical report revealing that Mr Blair, aided by his chief of staff, Jonathan Powell, had fought a long rearguard action to protect himself from having to disclose the gifts he had received from foreign leaders."
Full story:
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/homeaffairs/story/0,11026,995154,00.htmlSounds like Blair has been taking lessons from his friend in Washington.
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