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HOWARD'S WAY.... a weekly column from Michael Howard MP

4 May 2006<IMG height=195 hspace=10 src="images/michaelhoward3.jpg" width=130 align=right vspace=10 border=0>

When should a Government Minister resign?

A bewildering number of different answers have been given to that question over the last few days. But Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, gave the right answer himself when he was interviewed by Jon Snow on Channel 4 the day the storm over foreign prisoners broke. He would resign, he said, ‘if he was shown to be personally culpable for the failure to consider the recommendation of the courts that over 1,000 dangerous criminals should be deported at the end of their sentence.

Within hours he confirmed to Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight that he was personally culpable. He said that what had happened was the result of a “shocking failure� on his part and that of others. So the fact that he has failed to accept the logic of his own test is astonishing.

Almost every day since then has brought a fresh and damaging revelation. Mr Clarke said that the number of prisoners released since he knew about the problem was very, very few�. It soon became clear that the number was 288.

What is more Mr Clarke subsequently admitted that he knew that number when he gave his misleading answer.

Then we were told that it had taken Mr Clarke three weeks to report on the problem to the Prime Minister and, more importantly, to the police.

Last week, we were told, the police were knocking on doors to try to find those who should have been deported. Why weren’t they asked to do this three weeks earlier or indeed ten months ago when Mr Clarke was first warned there was a problem?

These are not abstract questions. We know that at least 5 of those who should have been deported have committed further serious offences. People have suffered injury, or possibly worse, as a direct result of Mr Clarke’s negligence.

He has repeatedly said that he takes full responsibility for what has happened. But what does that mean? I am afraid that if it means anything at all, it means that Mr Clarke must go. That is the true meaning of ministerial responsibility.