Byers' spin doctors face inquiry

Spin doctor Jo Moore and her civil service rival Martin Sixsmith today face a full-scale inquiry into the civil war that has split Whitehall and embarrassed Tony Blair.

Downing Street put both their jobs on the line by refusing to voice confidence in either of them.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Richard Wilson has been called in to sort out the shambles which followed suggestions that Ms Moore had attempted to use Princess Margaret's funeral today to cover up bad news for the Government over the railways.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman, himself angered at the way he was drawn into the mess, today said that Mr Blair continued to have "absolute" confidence in Transport Secretary Stephen Byers, whose department is at the heart of the affair.

But asked to give the same declaration to back Ms Moore and Mr Sixsmith, he said that he was not going to be drawn into a "running commentary" on personalities. He added: "It is apparent there are issues that are going to be looked at and sorted out by Stephen Byers and his permanent secretary."

That left it all too clear that Mr Sixsmith, Ms Moore or both of them are going to have to carry the can. No10 did, however, move to give chapter and verse to back Ms Moore's assertion yesterday that the charge that she had attempted to bury bad news on the railways was "a pack of lies".

The spokesman produced a daybyday account which, he said, completely cleared her of the charge that she had attempted a repeat of her ill-famed move on 11 September, after the terror attacks on the US, when she suggested it was a good time to "bury" any government bad news.

The announcement of the figures on rail punctuality and reliability was, he said, originally planned to be issued yesterday. It was a week before, after the regular Cabinet meeting, that Mr Byers himself suggested it be rescheduled for today. He did so, said No 10, because he reckoned the rail figures would be a plus rather than a minus for the Government and he believed that Friday would be a quieter day to put them out with fewer competing headlines.

On Saturday came the death of the Princess with news the following day that her funeral would be held at the end of the coming week.

On Monday, the Department of Transport news team, with both Ms Moore and Mr Sixsmith present, discussed the timing and confirmed that the figures should be released today.

In an assertion critical to clearing Ms Moore's name, Downing Street said that no one at the meeting "clocked" the fact that the timing would now clash with the funeral. It was only afterwards that someone noticed and pointed out to Mr Sixsmith that there might be a problem.

It was then that Mr Sixsmith sent his email to Mr Byers, with a copy to Ms Moore, pointing out the danger and warning that he was now against the agreed timing.

It was a version of that email that was leaked to the media in what Downing Street now appears to believe was a classic smear designed to damage Ms Moore.

Meanwhile, Mr Byers was reported today to be hiring a team of personal media advisers reporting directly to him.

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