It is a possibility that the culture secretary, John Whittingdale, has been at pains to deny even discussing. But a sharp-shooting snapper has now caught a glimpse of a government document setting out options for selling off Channel 4.
“Work should proceed to examine the options of extracting greater public value from the Channel 4 corporation, focusing on privatisation options in particular,” the document, brandished carelessly by a government official as he entered Downing Street, stated.
Despite opinion polls showing big majorities in favour of renationalising former state-run industries, such as the railways, water and energy companies, and the Royal Mail, it is apparent that the government could do with raising some cash. Even if only to buy some manila folders.
Because this kind of gaffe has happened before, most of them having been captured by Steve Back, the photographer who snapped the Channel 4 document. With cameras only getting increasingly more powerful, you might think they would have learned their lesson by now, but here is a look back at some previous dossier disasters:
Official reveals City objections to Russia sanctions
At the same time as David Cameron said Britain and its EU partners would put pressure on Moscow after it assumed control of Crimea last year, a government document revealed that ministers had drawn up plans to ensure that any action would not harm the City of London.
The document, carried by an unnamed official, said that although visa restrictions and travel bans could be imposed on Russian officials, “London’s financial centre” should not be closed to the country’s wealthy oligarchs and nor should ministers support trade sanctions.
Andrew Mitchell displays Afghanistan briefing papers
There are few areas where government secrets are more jealously guarded than the conduct of foreign wars. So Andrew Mitchell may have felt a little foolish after leaving Downing Street with “protected” government documents on display.
After expressing concern about the banking sector in Afghanistan wasting funding from the international community, Mitchell’s briefing read: “The World Bank have told us that the suspension of UK and other donor funds to the Afghan government will soon begin to destabilise activities essential for transition.”
Nevertheless, on finding out he had been “papped”, Mitchell is said to have told an aide he was not that bothered.
Danny Alexander reveals public sector jobs bloodbath
The chief secretary to the Treasury in the coalition government, Danny Alexander, may have rued getting started on his homework early when he left the Treasury reading the still-confidential spending review in October 2010.
It revealed that the coalition expected to shed 490,000 public sector jobs by 2014-15 as a direct result of its austerity measures, the first time the government had let slip such figures.
Senior policeman’s counterterrorism blunder
Bob Quick, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, was forced to stand down after an embarrassing security leak, in which he revealed a white document, clearly marked “secret”, as he arrived at Downing Street in 2009.
The leak resulted in a major anti-terror operation, planned by police and MI5 to foil an alleged al-Qaida plot to bomb Britain, being rushed forward. The government imposed a D notice to restrict the media from revealing the contents of the picture, which included the names of several senior officers, sensitive locations and details about the nature of the overseas threat.
Caroline Flint briefing reveals Labour’s housing fears
The then housing minister, Caroline Flint, revealed a grim prediction that house prices could tumble by 5-10% by the end of 2008, the height of the financial crisis, as she arrived at a cabinet meeting in May that year.
The disclosure was deeply embarrassing for the government since ministers had privately said that they didn’t want to do anything to increase pessimism about house prices for fear of talking the economy into a recession.
Flint’s document, which admitted that ministers “can’t know how bad it will get”, did little to allay fears.
