"Before summer, I had announced to some of my colleagues my intention to leave government. Though the messages long pre-date my current employment and relationship with the Prime Minister, I've brought forward my resignation to avoid distracting from the vital work this government is doing to positively change people's lives. As an advisor, my duty is to protect the reputation of the Prime Minister and his government."
"While it is chilling that a private conversation from nearly a decade ago can do this sort of damage, I am also truly, deeply sorry for it and the hurt it will cause."
"Paul Ovenden was the best brain in the Labour Party and the role he played in the landslide election was immeasurable."
Paul Ovenden, Downing Street director of strategy, resigned after sexually explicit 2017 messages about Dianne Abbott were uncovered. Ovenden exchanged emails retelling a "shag, marry, kill" game in which he said he would sleep with Abbott. Ovenden previously worked as a journalist for the Sunday Telegraph and said the messages were a "silly conversation" from eight years earlier. He brought forward his resignation to avoid distracting from government work and apologized for the hurt caused. A Labour source praised his role in the election while Labour faces further pressure from potential poor local election results and the Peter Mandelson–Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Read at London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
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