Burnham: 'I meant no offence'
Updated on 20 June 2008
Andy Burnham has insisted he had meant no offence to Liberty campaigner Shami Chakrabarti.
The Culture Secretary's remarks about her relationship with Tory front bencher David Davis caused a storm when Ms Chakrabarti demanded an apology and threatened legal action.
His comments came after Mr Davis resigned over the Government's narrow Commons victory on custody limits for terror suspects - a decision he discussed with the Liberty director.
The minister had said in a magazine interview he found something "very curious in the man who was - and still is I believe - an exponent of capital punishment, having late-night, hand-wringing, heart-melting phone calls with Shami Chakrabarti".
Both Ms Chakrabarti and Mr Davis, who was shadow home secretary until his shock resignation last week, are married.
Ms Chakrabarti warned Mr Burnham would face a libel action if he continued "down the path of innuendo and attempted character assassination".
In a letter to her, Mr Burnham said: "I can well understand how the coverage of my remarks, and the reaction of others to them, may have been distressing for you and your family.
"I can say that the very last thing I set out to do was to cause any personal offence to you, your family, or any other party.
"If that is what has happened by the misinterpretation of my remarks, then I regret that."
He added: "The point still stands and is this: that an exponent of the death penalty is, in my view, an improbable champion of the cause of civil liberties."
Ms Chakrabarti said: "I am grateful for Mr Burnham's personal letter which seems to show genuine regret for the distress that his remarks caused me and my family.
"These remarks coincided with a relentless campaign of Westminster gossip that could only have distracted from serious issues and discouraged young women from entering political life."
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