URSULA BRENNAN

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE FLOOR5,ZONED,MAINBUILDING, WHITEHALL LONDON SW1A 2HB

Telephone:020-72182193 Fax:020-72183048 E-mail:PUS-Personal@mod.uk

PERMANENT UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE

D/PUS/10/1 (477) 10October2011 Dear Gus, Review of the Defence Secretarys meetings with Adam Werritty

Youaskedmeforasummaryofmyinterimfindings. Process 2.Theinformationandconclusionsinthisnotearedrawnfromananalysis oftheSecretaryofStatesdiaryandfromconversationswithsomeofthekey parties.Therehasnotyetbeentimeforathoroughanalysisoftheevidence; thiswillbeconductedthisweek.Ihavecommissionedatrawlfortheemail andelectronicevidenceon: o Overseas trips: Details from Dr Foxs diary for the 18 trips (including holidays) on which

it is believed that Adam Werritty was present.

o

Details of who else was present on these trips and who attended which formal and informal event. Emails, diplomatic telegrams, trip reports from the MOD international teams, and Private Office meeting notes from these visits. Correspondence about diary dates concerning these trips to establish whether staff from the Secretary of States Private Office provided information to Adam Werritty about dates, timings and locations of visits.
o

Emails between the Private Office and Adam Werritty to establish whether information (other than in connection with the diary) was communicated to Mr

Werritty. o Security control logs which will show the dates on which Mr Werritty visited the MOD Main Building.

3.Ihavealsocommissionedaseriesofinterviewswithpastandpresentmembersof DrFoxsPrivateOffice,includingspecialadvisers,staffwhotravelledwiththeSecretaryof StateonrelevantvisitsandtheSecretaryofStatehimselftoconfirmtheirrecollectionsofthe eventsinquestion. 4.Althoughthereisstillfurthermaterialtobechecked,Iamalreadyclearthatthereare areaswherethecurrentguidanceonproprietyandthemanagementofMinisterialPrivate Officesneedstobestrengthened.

Interim Findings Adam Werrittys visits to MOD Main Building 5.FurtherworkonthelogsshowingpeoplewhohaveenteredtheMOD MainBuildingsuggeststhatAdamWerrittywaspresenton22ratherthan 14occasions.IbelievethisnowtobeanaccuraterecordofMrWerrittys visits,butIcannotexcludethepossibilitythattheremayhavebeenavisit whichforwhateverreasonwasnotrecordedinthelogs.Ihavespokento thePrincipalPrivateSecretaryandothermembersofthePrivateOfficestaff; theybelievethatAdamWerrittysvisitstotheMainBuildingwerelargely personalconversationswiththeDefenceSecretary.Theyareconfidentthat theDepartmentdidnotprovideMrWerrittywithclassifiedpapersorbriefings. ThisisconfirmedbyDrFox,whopointedoutthatwhileonmostoccasions MrWerrittycametohisoffice,therewereoccasionswhenthetwometinthe PillaredHallcoffeebarintheMODMainBuilding. 6.IntheanalysistodateIhavefoundonlyfourinstanceswhereothers werepresentduringthesevisits.TwoofthesecasesoccurredwhenaPrivate SecretaryandaSpecialAdviserwerepresenttodiscussdiaryarrangements forthelectureinSriLanka.AthirdoccurredwhenaSriLankanvisitorcalled ontheDefenceSecretaryforadiscussionwhichMrWerrittyhadorganised; heaccompaniedtheSriLankans.ThefourthwasanoccasionwhenMr WerrittywaspresentduringameetingwiththethenforthcomingAmbassador toIsrael.DrFoxacknowledgesthatitwasnotappropriateforMrWerrittyto haveattendedsuchameetingattheMOD. 7.InthenextphaseoftheinvestigationIwillseektoconfirmthedates andtimesoftheknownvisitsandwhethertherewereanyothervisitswhere otherswerepresentapartfromDrFoxandMrWerritty. Overseas trips 8.TheDefenceSecretarysoverseasvisitsarecomplex,ofteninvolving briefstop-oversenroutefromonelocationtoanother,withmeetingsbeing arrangedandre-arrangedatshortnotice.Somemeetingsstartorfinish withpersonaltime,e.g.whentheSecretaryofStateisonholidayand otherscontainperiodsofdowntimeforpersonalrelaxationduringthebusy

schedule.Someoverseastripsincludepoliticalengagements.Maintaining anappropriatedegreeofseparationbetweentheseelementsiscomplex,but isnecessaryforreasonsofpropriety.TheDepartmentneedstoensurethat acleardistinctionismadebetweenpartypolitical,personalandgovernment business,toavoidtheoccurrenceofactualorperceivedconflictsofinterest. Thereis,however,apotentialgreyarea,wherepersonalorpartypolitical meetingsoreventstakeplaceduringtimeswhentheSecretaryofStateisnot accompaniedbyaPrivateSecretary;sucheventscanpotentiallystrayinto governmentbusiness. 9.Onthequestionofdistinguishingbetweenpartypoliticaland governmentbusiness,fortheavoidanceofdoubt,Ibelieveitwouldbehelpful tomakeitclearthatitistheresponsibilityoftheMinistertoreportimmediately tothePrivateSecretaryanyinstancewheretherehasbeendiscussion touchingonDepartmentalorwidergovernmentbusinessatapartypoliticalor personalmeetingorevent. 10.Onthedistinctionbetweenpersonaltimeandofficialbusiness,Ihave notfoundanyevidencethattherulesonpayingforpersonaltraveland accommodationhavebeenbreached. 11.Onthegreyarea,Ibelievethatfurtherguidanceisneededtoassist MinistersandPrivateOfficestaffwhoareresponsibleformanagingMinisters diaries.Sometripswillcrossaweek-end;otherswillhavefreetimebecause ofaholidayinthecountryinquestion,orbecausemeetingshadtobe cancelled.Ingeneral,thePrivateOfficewillneedtoknowwheretheMinister willbe(forsecuritypurposes)andhowtomaintaincontact;apartfromthis, thePrivateOfficeshouldnotintrudeontheMinisterspersonalfreetime.The evidencesuggeststhattherehasbeenatleastoneoccasion(themeeting withHarveyBoulter)whentheDefenceSecretaryhadaplannedmeeting onMODbusiness,duetotakeplaceduringfreetime.Thenatureofthis encounterwasnotknowntothePrivateOfficeandthereforetheydidnot arrangetohaveaPrivateSecretarypresent.Toavoidthishappeningagain, PrivateOfficesshouldensurethattheirMinisterisclearthatanymeetingsor visitsduetotakeplaceduringpersonaltimeshouldnottouchongovernment business.Ifthereisariskthatapersonalmeetingmaystrayintogovernment business,thePrivateSecretaryshouldensurethatanofficialbepresent. 12.ItappearsthattherehavebeenoccasionswhenAdamWerrittywas presentatinformalorsocialgatherings(eganinformaldinner),inthemargins ofconferencesorothereventsattendedbytheDefenceSecretary.Infuture onallMinisterialvisits(intheUKandabroad)thePrivateOfficeshouldclarify theattendanceofpeoplenotpartoftheMinisterialparty(otherthanthe spouse/partneroftheMinister)atinformalorsocialgatherings.Fordinners, eventsetcorganisedbytheEmbassy/HighCommissiontherewillusuallybe anagreedguestlistforanyhospitalityprovidedatUKgovernmentexpense. Wheretheeventisinformal(egtheguestsarepayingtheirownway)oris organisedbythehostcountry,careshouldstillbetakentoensurethatthere isnoconfusionaboutwhoisandisnotamemberoftheMinisterialparty.

Diary information 13.Duringthecourseofthereviewithasbecomeapparentthatthe DefenceSecretaryprovidedoraskedhisofficetoprovidesomediarydetails toAdamWerritty,inconnectionwithvisitswhereMrWerrittywastobe present.InthenextphaseofthereviewIwillconfirmthisfromemailrecords. DrFoxhasacceptedthatitisnotappropriatetoaskofficialstoprovide Ministerialdiaryinformationtoathirdparty.IwillmakecleartoallPrivate Officesthattheyshouldnotsharediarydates,traveloraccommodation informationfortheirMinisterswiththirdpartiesotherthantheMinisters spouse/partner,orthirdpartiestravellingwiththeMinisterialparty. Business Cards 14.IbecameawareoftheallegationthatAdamWerrittywashanding outbusinesscardsdescribinghimselfasAdvisertoRtHonDrLiamFox followingastoryinTheGuardianon19August2011,whenIwasonleave. Thedayaftermyreturntotheoffice(23August)Iraisedtheissueatmy routinemeetingwiththeSecretaryofState.DrFoxconfirmedthathehad alreadydealtwiththeproblemandthatitwaswrongforMrWerrittytohave usedsuchacard.Whenwediscussedtheissueagaininthepastfewdays IaskediftheDefenceSecretaryhadfirstbecomeawareoftheproblemin August;herepliedthathethoughthefirstknewofitinJune,andthatthis waswhenhehadtoldAdamWerrittytostopthepractice.Thisisconfirmed byoneoftheSpecialAdvisers,whorecallsbecomingawareoftheproblem inJune,possiblyastheresultofanearlierpresscomment.Herecallsthat immediatelyafterthistheDefenceSecretaryandtheSpecialAdvisersheld ameetingwithMrWerrittyatwhichDrFoxtoldMrWerrittythatthiswas unacceptableandhemuststopissuingthebusinesscards.
15.IamcopyingthislettertoDrLiamFox. Yourssincerely, ORIGINALSIGNED URSULA BRENNAN