DAVID Cameron has caused “an amount of displeasure” in Buckingham Palace after admitting to seeking the Queen’s support during the Scottish independence referendum.
The former prime minister acknowledged he had said “perhaps a little bit too much” about his dealings with the monarch, who is meant to remain above the political fray.
Cameron sought support from the Queen after a poll predicting a Yes victory “panicked” him.
He told a BBC documentary he made contact with Buckingham Palace officials in 2014, suggesting the monarch could “raise an eyebrow” in the close-fought campaign.
A few days before the referendum in September 2014, the Queen told a well-wisher in Aberdeenshire that she hoped “people would think very carefully about the future”.
In an attempt to play down the row over his revelation, Cameron later insisted he did not ask the Queen to do “anything improper” during the referendum on Scottish independence.
The former prime minister – who has been carrying out a media blitz to promote his memoirs – told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I never asked for anything improper to be said or done.”
He added: “I don’t want to say anything more about this, I’m sure some people would think – possibly even me – that I have already said perhaps a little bit too much.”
He had previously told the BBC: “I remember conversations I had with my private secretary and he had with the Queen’s private secretary and I had with the Queen’s private secretary, not asking for anything that would be in any way improper or unconstitutional, but just a raising of the eyebrow, even, you know, a quarter of an inch, we thought would make a difference.”
The media understands Cameron’s remarks led to “an amount of displeasure” in Buckingham Palace.
A source quoted by the BBC said “it serves no one’s interests” for conversations between the prime minister and the Queen to be made public and “it makes it very hard for the relationship to thrive”.
The Queen’s dealings with the current Prime Minister are also in the spotlight after Boris Johnson told her to order the suspension of Parliament – which is the subject of a legal battle at the Supreme Court.
Cameron has a history of indiscretion in his dealings with the monarch.
He admitted that talking about her “purring down the line” to him after the No victory in the Scottish referendum had been a “terrible mistake”.
At First Minister’s Questions in Holyrood, Nicola Sturgeon was asked whether she had concerns about the Queen being asked to interfere in a second independence referendum.
She responded: “I think the revelations – if I can call them that – from David Cameron today say more about him than they do about anybody else, and really demonstrate the panic that was in the heart of the UK Government in the run-up to the independence referendum five years ago.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel