Standard: No inquiry into smeargate<font face="Georgia" color="#2a2a2a" size="4"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: rgb(42, 42, 42); line-height: 150%; font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></font>

The Evening Standard reports this morning that:

“Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell appeared unlikely to launch a probe after one of the ministers linked to the affair, Tom Watson, made a statement through solicitors stating categorically he knew nothing about it.

Whitehall experts suggested to the Evening Standard that Mr Watson’s denial meant Sir Gus would reject a Conservative call for a formal investigation into who knew what about plans hatched by No10 aide Damian McBride to smear senior Tories via anonymous internet attacks.”