Á¦ ¸ñ : ANDREW PIERCE- How an oh so cosy chat ended in fiasco
ÀÛ¼ºÀÏ : 2015-06-13 10:15:45
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Landale, whose gentle manner belies an acute political brain, knows that Cameron has form for putting his foot it in when he relaxed. Remember his unguarded comments in America about the Queen urring?down the telephone to him over the nationalists failing to win the Scottish referendum?
Perhaps the BBC man sensed that the kitchen would be the most fertile place to ask tricky questions, while the PM was surrounded by his family. Yet the question over whether Cameron intended to serve a third term was hardly a bombshell: Cameron could have easily dismissed it.
The fact that he answered it calmly and directly triggered suspicion in some quarters that it was agreed in advance.ôé
But Landale says he was taken aback by the response, so much so that he hoped the surprise didn show on his face. The meltdown that followed in Downing Street as the gravity of the political story became evident supports Landale version of events.
In his BBC blog, Landale denies it was a set-up. åöt was not something that a helpful Downing Street official had suggested I might ask ?with a heavy hint I might get an interesting answer. It was just one of many speculative questions that political journalists like me ask in the hope that occasionally they might get an answer. And this time I did.
Earlier this week, Cameron announced he would not bid for a third term if he is successful in May's General Election. He has since insisted he is taking 'nothing for granted' and his focus is on beating 'Ed Miliband'