Caborn: 'We're not going soft on drugs'

The Sports Minister, Richard Caborn, has denied that the eight months ban imposed on Rio Ferdinand - a third of the sentence he might have received in most other sports - or last week's shock sacking of UK Sport's anti-doping chief Michele Verroken means that Britain is "going soft" on drugs, a stance which could damage London's Olympic bid.

Dick Pound, chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, of which Britain is a leading member, has said that Ferdinand has "dodged the bullet" and "done pretty well". He also regretted the controversial departure of Verroken, who always argued fiercely for stiff drugs punishments and was in favour of an independent anti-doping agency, which Caborn opposes. But Caborn says: "Anyone who says we are taking a soft line on drugs is talking rubbish. No one can accuse me of that. My take on this is well known, and Dick Pound is well aware of it." While declining to discuss the reasons for Verroken's removal, and that of UK Sport's popular chief executive Richard Callicott, he insisted the decisions were not his but the government quango's new "Iron Lady" chairman, Sue Campbell, whom he recently appointed. Caborn said that despite rumours that Verroken had been a victim of pressure by an angry football lobby, "this had nothing to do with the Ferdinand business. Sue Campbell was put in to make her own judgements". But he agreed the timing was "unfortunate".