A sorry, sorry, sorry affair

The Prime Minister was forced to make a humiliating apology to the Paddington rail crash survivor Pam Warren yesterday after The Independent exposed an apparent attempt to discredit her by a senior government aide.

Tony Blair's statement followed a similar apology from Stephen Byers, who was Transport Secretary when the "muck-raking" e-mails were sent out, allegedly trawling for information about the political background of Mrs Warren and other survivors of the disaster. She also received a call yesterday from the new Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling, apologising for the e-mails.

The author of the memos, Dan Corry, a policy adviser to Mr Byers who has left the Department of Transport, is in Japan watching the World Cup from where he today joined the long line of apologists.

In a statement issued by the Labour Party, he said: "It was wrong to send these e-mails. I would like to apologise unreservedly to the Paddington Survivors Group, Pam Warren, the relatives involved and to anybody who has taken offence at this.

"The politicians and journalists with whom I had contact as a special adviser know that the vast bulk of my work related to perfectly proper questions of policy. I profoundly regret what I did on this occasion," the stattement said.

Thirty-one people died when two trains collided in London in October 1999. Mrs Warren and two other victims of the crash claimed last month that Mr Byers was lying when he told MPs that he had not made the decision to place Railtrack into administration until 5 October last year.

The 35-year-old financial consultant, who was badly burnt in the accident, said the former Transport Secretary had indicated to them a month earlier that the company was doomed. Her claims led to renewed controversy over Mr Byers' position and is thought to have contributed to his resignation on 28 May.

Last night the department issued its version of the e-mail exchanges. The first was sent by Mr Corry on 23 May, asking: "Can you get some sort of check done on the people who are making a big fuss on the Paddington Survivors' Group attacking SB please [the ones taking over from Pam Warren]. The names are in the press." The unnamed Labour official points out that it would be difficult to find any information beyond that already in the public domain. Mr Corry replies: "Basically, are they Tories?"

Mrs Warren said last night that she found the statement from the Prime Minister inadequate. "If that's an apology, I'm a Dutchman," she said. The statement from a Downing Street spokesman on behalf of Mr Blair said: "The Prime Minister shares Alistair Darling's view that this should not have happened. It is wrong that it did happen and he shares in the regret that it happened. This is something that took place within the department and the Prime Minister had no knowledge of it."

Mrs Warren said: "I just think it is a pretty sneaky and a very nasty and spiteful thing to do on the Government's part. We have absolutely no political axe to grind here. We are merely standing up and saying [to the Government] 'do what you promised'. I still think Tony Blair has to answer here ... If anyone is going to apologise it has to be Tony Blair."

A spokesman at the Department of Transport said on Wednesday night that officials could find no trace of the e-mails. But he said yesterday that, after further research, the memos had been found.

The department stressed that the information was being sought about the people taking over from Mrs Warren as head of the survivors group but added: "The new Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling, strongly disapproves of the fact that this inquiry was made and has made it clear that it must stop immediately." The department said it wished to "apologise unreservedly'' for any distress, but referred to "this story" rather than the e-mails themselves.

In his statement yesterday, Mr Byers said: "As this e-mail was sent during my period as Secretary of State and by one of my special advisers, I want to apologise to Pam Warren and other members of the Paddington Survivors' Group. This e-mail should never have been sent. Indeed, had I been aware of it, I would have stopped it.

"I have always had the greatest respect for Pam Warren and the Paddington Survivors' Group and for the motives behind their campaign to improve safety on the railway network."

Meanwhile, sources close to the department alleged that officials had been trawling for information about the former director of communications at the DoT, Martin Sixsmith. The sources claim that senior figures in the Government are engaged in a "muck-raking" exercise against Mr Sixsmith.

Mr Sixsmith is still waiting for a £180,000 pay-off from the department, but sources believe that the Government is anxious for him to sign a new "gagging clause" before handing the cheque over. Mr Sixsmith agreed the deal after he was accused of leaking information to the press ­ an accusation he denied.