PM rapped over power of advisers

The Prime Minister was criticised today for ignoring calls to curb the power of Labour Party aides in Whitehall.

Sir Nigel Wicks used his retirement as chairman of the Committee for Standards in Public Life to express " disappointment" in Tony Blair's failure to act.

Sir Nigel chaired an inquiry into the role of Labour special advisers after the row over Jo Moore, the former aide who urged civil servants to "bury bad news" on the day of the World Trade Center attack.

The committee recommended that special advisers - the elite group of ministerial political aides - should be separate from an independent Civil Service. It also warned against ministers taking on powers over the hiring civil servants.

But Mr Blair did not take up the string of recommendations in the final report. Today Sir Nigel said: "The Government's response represented a seriously missed opportunity to enhance public trust in the processes of government."