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UK: The drugs questions that won't go away
Tania Branigan and Julian Glover The Guardian
Saturday 15 Oct 2005 - Davis says any recent use must disqualify candidate - Cameron faces growing pressure as ballot nears David Cameron faced growing pressure last night to answer questions over whether he has a history of drug use after rival Conservative leadership contender David Davis suggested that anyone who has recently taken hard drugs could not lead the party. In a pre-recorded interview for tonight's Morgan and Platell programme on Channel 4, Mr Davis was asked whether someone who had taken class A drugs could lead the party or the country. He said: "Well, it's a breach of the law, so if it was recent, the answer would be no." His remarks intensified the pressure on Mr Cameron in the run-up to next week's first round leadership ballot in which he is expected to emerge as one of a shortlist of three. The strain on him and his supporters has grown during the week, with Mr Cameron finding it increasingly difficult to stick to his refusal to talk about his past and private life in the face of pointed questions about the use of hard drugs. Mr Cameron's team say his approach is "dignified" and parliamentary backing appears solid, with supportive MPs applauding his decision not to change tack under media pressure. But other camps suggest that his refusal to elaborate is an error of judgment that raises questions about his competence as a leader. Supporters admit they did not expect the story to persist as it has, but argue that changing strategy now would only make the position worse. A full and frank account of what he has, or has not, done in the past might look like panic at this stage. It might also encourage the press to declare open season. The issue first surfaced at a conference fringe event when Mr Cameron was asked if he had taken drugs. He replied: "I had a normal university experience." Pressed by the Observer columnist Andrew Rawnsley, he added: "There were things I did as a student that I don't think I should talk about now that I am a politician." His reply was regarded as an admission of adolescent cannabis use. But within days the rumours escalated, as he refused to elaborate under repeated questioning from interviewers. On Thursday, asked specifically if he had ever taken a class A drug, he told BBC1's Question Time: "We're both allowed to have had a private life before politics in which we make mistakes and we do things that we should not and we are all human and we err and stray." An aide said yesterday."There are people like Edward Leigh [a rightwing senior backbencher] who say he should talk about this. They are entitled to their views, but we think they are completely wrong." The absence of a denial has allowed rivals and the press to inflate the rumours without offering any evidence. Mr Cameron's supporters pin most of the blame on Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mail on Sunday - rumoured to be publishing a negative story tomorrow - and the London Evening Standard, which revealed yesterday that a close relative of the shadow education secretary had been addicted to heroin. In a statement, Mr Cameron said he was "incredibly proud" that the person had overcome a drug problem, adding: "Many families will have had a similar experience, and they and I know full well the damage drugs can do. I hope now that this person can be left alone." Mr Cameron leaped into second place in the contest, with 34 declared supporters, thanks to barnstorming speeches at his campaign launch and the party conference. That suggests Ken Clarke (with 23 declared supporters) and Liam Fox (who has 20) will challenge each other for third place in Tuesday's ballot of the parliamentary party. David Davis has a clear lead with 67 declared supporters. All would be happy to see the young pretender falter. While they have denied using drugs themselves, their campaign teams have been careful not to press the issue of Mr Cameron's past. In truth they do not need to pursue the matter when the media are doing so assiduously. Earlier this week at a meeting of the rightwing 92 Group of MPs, Mark Pritchard, a Davis supporter, asked Mr Clarke whether he had used hard drugs. The former chancellor replied that he had not taken cocaine. The query appeared to anger many present and was not repeated to Mr Cameron. But on Thursday, when the Contact Group of Tory wives ran out of time to question Mr Clarke, he joked: "I haven't taken cocaine, if that's what you were going to ask." "Ken is the person who has twice used the word 'cocaine' ... He is playing the hardest ball on this and you can see why," said a supporter of another candidate. Mr Cameron cannot be accused of hypocrisy: he has advocated the reform of drug laws since his arrival in parliament four years ago. Serving on the home affairs select committee in 2001, he supported the reclassification of cannabis and ecstasy. In a diary for the Guardian Unlimited website at the time he wrote: "I am an instinctive libertarian who abhors state prohibitions and tends to be sceptical of most government action, whether targeted against drug use or anything else ... Hounding hundreds of thousands - indeed millions - of young people with harsh criminal penalties is no longer practicable or desirable." David Blunkett, then the home secretary, praised Mr Cameron's open mind on the subject, telling MPs: "These are difficult and sometimes dangerous questions to deal with in politics." As he waits for tomorrow's newspapers, Mr Cameron would no doubt agree. Highs and lows Tuesday October 4 David Cameron cheered at Blackpool after an impressive speech promising to take the Tories on "an incredible journey". Wednesday 5 David Davis falters after an adequate but uninspiring speech. Suddenly Cameron looks like a challenger for the Tory crown. That night the Observer's Andrew Rawnsley questions Cameron about past drug use. He shrugs off the question - but does not deny it. Sunday 9 Cameron refuses to confirm or deny past drug use on the BBC's Sunday AM programme. Monday 11 As Malcolm Rifkind pulls out of the race, Cameron picks up new support and a poll shows him ahead with party members. Wednesday 12 Cameron joins other candidates at hustings. Ken Clarke denies taking cocaine but Cameron is not questioned on the issue. Thursday 13 Cameron is pressed on Question Time over whether he has used class A drugs; he does not give a specific answer. Yesterday The Daily Mail runs a full-page editorial calling on Cameron to come clean as the London Evening Standard reports past drug addiction of a close family member.
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