Politics

David Cameron Stands By 'Policy In The Woodpile' Peer

Lord Dixon-Smith, the Tory spokesman for communities and local government, apologised profusely to the House of Lords when he realised the offence he had caused, and later explained that the expression had been in common use when he was younger. Another Tory peer, Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville, intervened to suggest that Lord Dixon-Smith might care to revise his words and he rushed to correct himself.

"In the old days, we used the word 'policy' all the time. We had policies for everything such as the economy, health, education, law and order etc.It was common parlance when I was younger and it slipped out without me thinking," said Lord Dixon-Smith.

A spokeperson for David Cameron said, "This was not an appropriate thing to say and it was absolutely right that he apologised to the House."

David Cameron later confirmed that the Tories had not used the word 'policy' since he's been leader.

'Policy' is a deliberate plan of action to guide decisions and achieve rational outcome(s). The now out-of-favour phrase is not a widely used term and is no long used by the Conservatives at all. Although policies can be used in a positive way, the most common usage is to use it in a negative way. Lady Thatcher and Tony Blair are recent examples of this. Positive policies are mostly short-lived whereas negative policies can linger for years. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is having problems with the latter.

During his apologies Lord Dixon-Smith said he had "left his brains behind" but this part was rejected as they all do that every day.