Blunkett 'gave order to gun down rioters'

You couldn't make this up. If ever anyone required absolute proof that David Blunkett was unfit for his job, here it is:

Blunkett 'gave order to gun down rioters'

FORMER Home Secretary David Blunkett told the Prison Service to machine gun rioters at Lincoln jail, it was claimed today. Martin Narey, who was director general of the service at the time, said a "hysterical" Mr Blunkett told him he did not care about any loss of life after inmates took over the prison in 2002.

Mr Blunkett has denied the claims, but today the former prisons chief stood by his allegations. He said if Mr Blunkett had insisted on retaking the prison without care about possible deaths, he would have resigned.

Mr Narey described Mr Blunkett as being "reckless not positive" during a furious late-night telephone call. And he said the only reason he had published his account was to rebut Mr Blunkett's claims that he was "dithering" over the riot and that he and his staff were not up to it.
Mr Narey said: "He shrieked at me that he didn't care about lives, told me to call in the Army and 'machine gun' the prisoners and - still shrieking - ordered me to take the prison back immediately.

"I refused. David hung up."

(from the Scotsman)