In support of David Laws

I find the piece published in the Daily Telegraph exposing David Laws' sexuality via his expenses claims both vindictive and deliberately politically motivated to destabilise the Coalition Government, which the paper clearly despises. They have had this material for months but the paper chooses now to publish it. Not before the election, or during the election campaign, not even during the negotiations between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, when Laws was a key negotiator, but now when the Coalition has been launched with a positive public reaction.

Reading the Twitter feed on this it is clear that there is huge support for David from both Tory and Lib Dem sources alike. Most tellingly were several who mentioned the actual rental claim was unbelievably low for renting a room in Central London. It appears that because of a rules change in 2006 the previous arrangement was no longer valid, but admitting more about the relationship he had with his partner was an intrusion into his privacy.

This is not a resigning issue in my view. Rather more important, we should question why the Telegraph decided to publish this now.

If the Telegraph thinks it is in the public interest to "out" gay MPs in this way, then it is in the Telegraph readers' interest to know who writes for the paper. I challenge the Telegraph to list all of its editors, journalists, international correspondents and columnists describing in detail their sexuality and home-living arrangements. If it is important to reveal these details of a member of the Coalition Government it is equally important to know the details of those who seek to bring him down.

I think we should be told....