So, George Osborne’s admitted that he “made a mistake” getting chummy with Oleg Deripaska in Corfu, and the Westminsterati are prepared to draw a line under his involvement in the Yachtgate scandal. The Tories should now grasp this opportunity to completely remove themselves from the story. And – however great the temptation may be – that means not prodding Peter Mandelson over his refusal to disclose more about his meetings with Deripaska.
Two main reasons why: 1) It was Osborne’s attempt to rile Mandy that largely got him into this mess in the first place. And 2) If the shadow chancellor is to regain any political capital he may have lost, he needs to demonstrate that he has risen above the tawdriness of the past week and now has his eye firmly fixed on the economic storm we’re all facing.
A pity, then, that he gave into a spot of Mandy-bashing (and self-aggrandisement) in his interview earlier; claiming that “other politicians who have been dealing with these people have not been as open as I have”.
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