David Cameron’s culpability in helping to generate a hue and cry over the death of Baby P cannot be overlooked in the war of words between Sharon Shoesmith and Ed Balls. As Leader of the Opposition, Cameron was the first senior politician to endorse the Sun’s demand for Shoesmith to be sacked from her job as Haringey’s director of children’s services.
The Sun pursued what became an unprecedented campaign of vilification directed against an individual local authority official for the death of 17-month-old Peter Connelly. It collected 1.4 million signatures for a petition calling for Shoesmith’s dismissal – a petition which was personally backed by Cameron on the day it was launched in November 2008.
Guiding Cameron’s hand behind the scenes was Andy Coulson, the former News of the World editor, who in the previous twelve months as the Conservative Party’s director of communications had firmly aligned the Tory leader with the Sun’s style of campaigning journalism.
Coulson was playing a pivotal role during a critical period for the Conservatives: Cameron and the then Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown were vying with each other to secure the Sun’s blessing in the run-up to the forthcoming general election.
After Baby P’s mother and stepfather were convicted at the Old Bailey in October 2008 for their part in his death, the Sun’s readers were asked to support the paper’s campaign to get the dismissal of the social workers involved in the case together with the head of children’s services in the London borough of Haringey.
In a signed article on the day the petition first appeared Cameron said that he and his wife Samantha could not bear to watch news reports of the trial. “Baby P was cruelly let down in life, but we won’t let him down in death.” (Sun, 13.11.2008)
It took six of the Sun’s journalists to carry sacks containing the petition forms – complete with 1.4 million signatures – up to the front door of No.10 Downing Street for Prime Minister’s attention.
Brown and Cameron were trying to outdo each other in their attempts to appease the Sun and it was hardly surprising after the Prime Minister was challenged by Cameron at Prime Minister’s questions about the need for the government to intervene, that Balls, then the Children’s Secretary, considered he had no alternative but to act and order Shoesmith’s removal from office once Ofsted produced its damming report on the management of Haringey’s children’s department.
It was Balls’ failure to allow Shoesmith the chance to respond to the Ofsted report which formed the basis of the Court of Appeal’s judgement (27.5.2011) that she had been sacked unfairly. In welcoming the judgement she said it vindicated her criticism of Balls for having sacked her at a televised news conference. “I did not have the chance to respond to the Oftsted report. I was told there was going to be a news conference and I was sacked on live television.”
In standing by his original decision and welcoming the government’s decision to challenge the Court of Appeal’s ruling, Balls denied that he had been playing to the gallery.
When interviewed on the World at One by Shaun Ley (27.5.2011), Balls said he acted because of terrible harm done to a small boy and a gross failure of children’s services to protect him. “There was public outrage; there was huge pressure in the media...” Shaun Ley: “Is that why you acted in the way you did?” Balls: “There was huge pressure, including from opposition politicians, for me to act quickly...I said I would not reach a quick judgement but instead I asked independent inspectors to do a report. When the report arrived it pointed to a catastrophic management failure in Haringey.”
Later on Channel Four News Balls again denied having acted impetuously in the face of a newspaper campaign. “It was not just about the media. People were very angry about what children’s services had allowed to happen to a small boy. I don’t play to the gallery or give way to that pressure.”
Nonetheless there was no doubt in Downing Street that Brown was desperate to gain plaudits from the Sun. Balls’ decision to remove Shoesmith from office – followed by her immediate sacking by Haringey – was greeted with banner headlines:
“Baby P victory AT LAST after 26 days and 1.4m voices, council boss Shoesmith axed.” (Sun, 9.12.2008)
Brown and Balls took the praise for having acted decisively...and in the process Downing Street closed down a story which Cameron had milked to his political advantage.
28.5.2011