Cameron Longs For Leveson

Young Dave went back to his old ways before Christmas, fetching up at Rupert Murdoch’s party to be reunited with his former riding partner, the twinkle-toed yet domestically combative Rebekah Brooks. His Culture Secretary John Whittingdale made reassuring noises to the press establishment, suggesting the costs provisions of the Crime and Courts Act may not be enacted. And then it all came back to bite him.

Yesterday, Cameron found that even Prime Ministers occasionally need to avail themselves of the services provided by a press regulator, as he opened the morning papers to find himself and wife Samantha splashed all over the Mail On Sunday, along with the rest of his immediate family, because he is alleged to be considering sending son Elwen to a reassuringly expensive independent school.

“Camerons enter son for top London private school: Eton-educated PM considers prestigious £18,000-a-year prep for nine-year-old Elwen despite sending his daughter to state school... and calling the fees ‘crazy’" told the headline, with readers reminded “Camerons are thought to be undecided, but are considering Colet Court … Prep part of the exclusive St Paul’s School in Barnes, South-West London … Pupils go onto public schools like Eton, where Mr Cameron was educated”.

At the very end of the article, we find that “No 10 refused to comment last night, saying the Cameron children’s education was a ‘private matter’”, but the Guardian has told us that this means “Downing Street has complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation [Ipso] about the article and any follow up pieces”.

Why so? “According to Ipso’s code of conduct, editors must not use the fame, notoriety or position of a parent or guardian as sole justification for publishing details of a child’s private life … Editors are also expected to justify intrusions into any individual’s private life without consent”. But here a problem enters: the Editor’s Code is one thing, getting IPSO to desist from wiping the MoS’ arse and letting them off is another.

Indeed, the accompanying Mail On Sunday Comment told ominously “He cannot pretend that it is a private matter. He made his own children’s schooling a political issue when he said six years ago: ‘I would like my children to go through the state sector’”. So the inmates of the Northcliffe House bunker clearly expect to have their arses duly wiped and Cameron told to run along. If only Dave had backed the Leveson proposals properly.

Had he not equivocated at the time, delaying the time when a properly independent press regulator could be established, and had his Culture Secretary not dragged his feet just to curry favour with the Fourth Estate, he might have more confidence that his complaint would be heard sympathetically. As he’s not running for PM again, and IPSO is nothing more than a fig-leaf for a bunch of shysters, he’s got no chance.

Cosying up to the press establishment gets you nowhere. Not even if you’re the Prime Minister.