How do you solve a problem like Maria?
What happens with Maria Miller could prove decisive for Cameron’s leadership.
Twitter hate
If anyone in Miller’s office or CCHQ thought her apology would stop the barrage of anger, they were gravely mistaken. Twitter is alight with what can only be described as an anger that hasn’t been seen against a particular MP since the expenses scandal broke in 2009.
A Mail on Sunday poll shows that 78% of voters think she should lose her position in the Cabinet, but Cameron is still standing behind her. For now.
Iain Duncan Smith has now come out saying that David Cameron should “take consideration” of calls to sack Miller.
The level of vitriol is so great that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s twitter account was hacked specifically to criticise and parody her.
The number of tweets mentioning Maria Miller over the last few days is staggering. Most are personal attacks, but some — such as Andrew Neil’s below — suggest there is more to this saga than meets the eye.
Cameron’s dilemma
News about the Maria Miller controversy is beginning to overshadow her Cabinet colleagues, including David Cameron himself. If Miller stays on at the DCMS until the 2015 election she will undoubtedly be used as a stick to electorally bash the Tories.
If Cameron doesn’t get rid of Miller it is only a matter of time before questions start to surface about his leadership, and his hold on the Conservative Party. If he is incapable of dismissing his own Ministers, there will be questions about his ability to maintain the loyalty of the Tory backbenchers. On a side note The Telegraph has reported that over half the letters required to trigger a vote of no-confidence in the Conservative Leader (25 out of 46) have been delivered to the chair of the 1922 Committee.
The Guardian reported that according to sources close to Miller, the reason some of the media has turned on her was due to her role in two of the Government’s most sensitive policies. Her role in the post-Leveson press regulation debate has made her a target for much of the press, and her role in legalising gay marriage has made her a target for many Tory backbenchers.
If Cameron doesn’t get rid of Maria Miller before the 2015 election she could prove to be an electoral liability. If he does get rid of her he’ll have got rid of one of his modernising allies.
Judging from tweets like this it doesn’t look like this story is going to go away any time soon.
Images: GOV.UK / Conservatives
