05/08/2003

Blair accused of 'cronyism' over CPS appointment

The Tories have today slammed the appointment of new Crown Prosecution Service as further evidence of "cronyism" within the government.

Shadow Deputy Prime Minister David Davis said that he was "astonished" that Ken Macdonald QC had been elevated to the post as he is – along with the Prime Minister’s wife – a founder member of Matrix Legal Chambers.

Mr Davis added: "Many people will find this appointment astonishing. We have already had one Lord Chancellor who was the Prime Minister’s boss and the current one who is his former flatmate. Now we learn that the new Director of Public Prosecutions is a founder member of the same legal chambers as the Prime Minister’s wife.

“Under this government there appears to be no institution which is safe from the Prime Minister’s rampant cronyism.

“There are certain parts of the British constitution that should be totally protected from this kind of behaviour and paramount among these should be the judicial system that only two months ago the Prime Minister claimed he wanted to free from all forms of political interference.”

(GMcG)

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