[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Jamie89

So it wasn't Ann's responsibility to do anything about it, but could she have done something about it? Genuine question, I'm not sure about much of this tbh, and that seems to be what Maggie was getting at... she's just stated on BOTS with some certainty that Ann could have done something to stop it.

Honestly Jamie,I don't get why Maggie seems to hold Ann responsible.
Ann was a shadow Home Secretary but the Cons were thrown out in 1997.

Ann wasn't MP for Rochdale,she represented a Southern seat.
She was in the shadow cabinet.
As Diane Abbott is now,who takes much notice of what Diane says now.

Labour were in power when this came about,for me it is Labour's Home Secretary of the time to be held account for it.

It may be Maggie doesn't care for Ann,Ann was a stern uncompromising Home secretary when in govt up to 1997.
That was well before this scandal however.

Goodness me,I love an opportunity to get at the Conservatives but it's only fair to lay blame for things going wrong in their time and not for things they would likely have no influence on.
In answer to your question,I doubt anyone would have listened to Ann or any other Conservative on this one.
So no,I cannot see how Ann could have done much at all,if anything since she and her Party were out,and well out of power at the time.