Peerages suspect: I was hung out to dry
Sunday, 18 February 2007 12:00 AM
A former suspect in the cash-for-honours affair has said he was abandoned by Tony Blair once he was arrested.
Headteacher Des Smith, who had been the government's adviser on its city academy funding body, was the first person to be arrested by the Metropolitan police as part of their probe into allegations peerages were given to wealthy political donors.
Earlier this month the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said the "indiscreet" comments that Mr Smith had made to undercover reporters were insufficient to prosecute him.
Talking to the News of the World he said that he had exaggerated his influence on the government when he said he could arrange peerages for donors; dubbing it just a "boastful sales pitch".
Mr Smith compares his situation to scientist David Kelly, who committed suicide following the fallout from the government's controversial Iraq weapons of mass destruction dossier.
"I was totally hung out to dry by the Blair regime," he said.
"Once I could do not wrong. I sat by [Mr] Blair's side. But after my arrest, [Mr] Blair and his government did nothing to help me or my family. He sat by and said nothing like the fair weather friend he is.
"They knew I wasn't involved and now the world knows.
"He always prefers to distance himself from people if he smells trouble. And that is not the Labour party I have supported all my life," he went on to tell the tabloid.
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