Leader: Fox finally listens to the baying of the hounds

MEN, at some time, are masters of their fates: the fault is not in the stars, but in themselves. That, to paraphrase Cassius’ words to Brutus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, aptly summarises the position of Dr Liam Fox, who resigned last night as defence secretary after day upon day of revelations about his inappropriate professional relationship with his friend and best man, Adam Werritty.

An even cursory review of what we know so far in this case, and there may be more revelations to come, leads to an inevitable conclusion: Mr Fox was master of his own fate and therefore the author of his own downfall. He has been forced to leave one of the most important posts in UK politics, not because it is written somehow in the stars, not because of some media conspiracy, not as he seemed to suggest in his resignation letter because he had somehow been misled by his friend, but because of his own recklessness, foolishness, and arrogance.

In just a year-and-a-half, Mr Werritty visited Dr Fox 22 times in the Ministry of Defence, and they met on 18 occasions overseas. Mr Werritty presented himself as an adviser to Dr Fox, though he held no official position. He used some of a total of £147,000 from a corporate intelligence company with an interest in Sri Lanka, a property investor and a venture capitalist, to travel the world first class.

From these facts alone, the relationship was obviously inappropriate and breaks the Downing Street code of conduct which states ministers must ensure that no conflict of interest arises, or appears to arise, between their public duties and their private interests.

However, it is also clear Dr Fox used Mr Werritty as an alternative to the civil service and the military who were officially advising him, suggesting a lack of trust in the official Whitehall machine close to paranoia, a further factor which has led to his resignation.

A minister who ruffles feathers in his department can be a force for change. A minister who abuses his position like this is likely to find that when he looks for support from his civil servants they will not go the extra mile for him.

What is most astonishing, is it has taken so long for Dr Fox to bow to the inevitable. Have he and his colleagues learned nothing from the previous government, which they never failed to attack when a Mandelson, a Byers or a Blunkett clung on in the face of mounting evidence of dubious conduct, only to be forced out eventually as their cases collapsed under the weight of contradictions? Dr Fox’s resignation is a blow for David Cameron, though one from which the Prime Minister can recover. More damagingly, it is a further blow for politicians and politics. At a time when our elected representatives were trying to regain the public’s trust in the wake of their expenses avarice, Dr Fox further undermined what should still be the noble calling of public service.