Cleverly: Dog ate my homework type excuses simply won't wash with the public
EMBARGO: Immediate Release
"These dog ate my homework type excuses simply won't wash with the public. It is a new low for this Government when a senior Minister claims he was too busy shopping to read about the main political story of the weekend.
"There are facts that still need to be established so there must be an independent investigation to get to the bottom of this. At a time when the Conservative Government is hiking taxes to record levels, this whole saga comes as a slap in the face to the public. The whole thing stinks."
ENDS