How politicians can be fighters, not quitters

Ron Davies in September 1997, after the referendum vote that led to the creation of the Welsh Assembly. He resigned a year later.

Amber Rudd's resignation is good news for Theo Barclay.

Barclay is the author of the recently-published Fighters and Quitters - Great Political Resignations. Ms Rudd's departure should offer enough material for a new chapter for the paperback version, although given Theresa May has lost her deputy, home, defence and international development secretaries since last year's general election, it could be a hefty volume.

The book features some of the great political scandals of years gone by, including the bizarre disappearance of Labour MP John Stonehouse and the trial of former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe for conspiracy to murder. He was acquitted but his story will be told once more in a BBC drama soon.

You may not be surprised to learn that former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies gets a chapter of his own. His resignation - after a "moment of madness" on Clapham Common - was the first from Tony Blair's government.

'Secret location'

Barclay recalls how the BBC's John Sergeant was invited to interview Mr Davies "with no forewarning of what would unfold in the course of the interview". Barclay suggests the interview was in Downing Street although as I recall the Sergeant interview was in what was then known as the Welsh Office, Gwydyr House in Whitehall.

He also suggests that Davies had written the word "sorry" in felt tip on the back of his hand. I think Barclay is conflating the Sergeant interview with another carried out by former BBC Wales political editor Glyn Mathias a few days later at a "secret location" (Vaughan Roderick's house) in Cardiff.

As Mathias recalls in his memoirs: "The swagger which Ron Davies affected as he arrived in fact belied the emotional turmoil he was going through. In reality, he looked tired and baggy-eyed. On his hand he had written the single word, 'Sorry', although none of us in the room spotted that at the time."

Mr Davies resigned as secretary of state and had to give up his ambition of becoming first secretary (now first minister). Barclay wonders if, 20 years on, a politician could survive a similar episode. He concludes: "There is no doubt that the public has become more liberal on such matters" He contrasts Mr Davies's fate with that of another Labour MP, Keith Vaz who was treated "with far more sympathy".

Barclay concludes: "Perhaps, then, attitudes are changing slowly, but the unbending rule is that a swift confession of the truth is required to have any chance of redemption. Any attempt to lie or, as Davies did, fail to provide a clear explanation, was and remains fatal."

Had Amber Rudd admitted swiftly that she made a mistake and misspoke about immigration targets at the home affairs committee, rather than wait for the drip-feed of leaks to prove her wrong, it is just possible she could have survived.