Split-stories have their own momentum. As soon as you know that a certain secretary of
state is in the dog house with Downing Street, you start seeing things through that prism. So when I saw that the press release on the government’s new national security strategy contained
quotes from the PM, the Foreign Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Development Secretary, but not the Defence Secretary, I immediately regarded it – and perhaps wrongly – as part of
the Westminster Fox hunt.
Liam Fox’s appearance on the Politics Show on Sunday was ill-advised. By celebrating his defiance of the Treasury’s demands and trumpeting the PM’s support for him, he has broken
one of the rules of the Cameron Tory party: never try to drive a wedge between ‘Dave and George.’ So determined are No.s 10 and 11 to avoid an equivalent of the Blair-Brown split that
they regard any attempt to divide the two of them as an almost unforgiveable act.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in