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Secret documents reveal how the head of the civil service leant on Channel 4 to curtail a comedian’s mischief-making impressions of John Major, after a Conservative MP was so completely taken in during a phone call that he refused to believe he had not been speaking to the  then-prime minister.Files released by the National Archives under the 30-year-rule show civil servants were perturbed by the uncanny mimicry of Rory Bremner after the comic phoned three MPs pretending to be Sir John in 1993.One, Sir Richard Body, at first did not accept he had been fooled even after the head of the civil service, Sir Robin, now Lord, Butler, explained the hoax to him.In two subsequent calls with Michael Grade, then Channel 4 boss, Lord Butler “made clear we might want to take the matter further if satisfactory assurances were not received” on a number of the government’s concerns, the previously confidential Downing Street papers show.
Lord Butler demanded that Mr Bremner not make any more phone calls impersonating the PM and that tapes of the three hoax conversations would not be broadcast.
In response the now-Lord Grade said he had ordered that no more calls be made without his permission, but did not promise a total ceasefire.

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John Major heaped fulsome praise on anti-obscenity campaigner Mary Whitehouse upon her retirement in 1994 and held a farewell meeting with her despite the misgivings of officials, previously confidential correspondence reveals.  Whitehouse stepped down as president of the National Viewers’ and Listeners’ Association (NVALA) after a decades-long crusade against violence and sexualised content. The then-prime minister granted her a farewell in-person meeting to mark the occasion at the end of July 1994.In a letter acceding to her request for a meeting Sir John told Whitehouse: “Your campaign has played a crucial part in highlighting the widespread concern that we should not lower our standards of what is acceptable viewing on film, television and video; and you have been instrumental in warning of the perils if these standards fall.
“As you know, your work has led to new legislation in these areas. You yourself are one of the best examples of how it is possible in a free country like Britain for a private citizen with energy, initiative and commitment, to carve out a distinctive and valued niche in our national life.”
The letter, along with several written by Ms Whitehouse to the PM, forms part of a tranche of documents newly released to the National Archives under the 30-year rule.They show how the conservative Christian campaigner lobbied the government hard for a stronger version of the Obscene Publications Act – to no avail, though her efforts were received with sympathy by Sir John – and peppered ministers with correspondence detailing exhaustively the sex and violence on television she believed was contributing to crime out in the world.In their meeting, Sir John told Whitehouse of his worry that “children were now the masters of television and video technology and parents could not or would not stop them from viewing unacceptable material”, according to a No 10 memo. The PM also “recognised the difficulty which lay before us as the number of channels increased”.
Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayThe archive documents show Downing Street and Home Office officials believed that granting Whitehouse’s request for a farewell meeting with Sir John “would not be justified”, though one memo writer did chip in to say: “Mrs W has been a very steady supporter over the years (as long as I can remember). She surely deserves a mark of recognition after such a long and devoted career?”Once the PM had offered to see her, the No 10 machine rolled into action, with a top aide warning that “she is of course likely to rehearse her well-known arguments on pornography and violence”, and ordering up “defensive briefings” to counter any criticism of the government.In this instance, however, the Home Office failed to produce something usable despite a month’s notice. Declassified memos reveal fury in No 10, with private secretary Mark Adams demanding an explanation and adding: “In two and a half years at Downing Street, no department has ever failed to deliver a brief for the prime minister when asked. On this occasion, the Home Office came pretty close. Furthermore, as the brief which did arrive was far too long and unwieldy, it was never shown to the prime minister.”Years later Adams, who served for six years in Downing Street under Sir John and Tony Blair, was convicted of two rapes and two sexual assaults.

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World leaders were dismayed by John Major’s risky leadership contest designed to challenge critics within the Conservative Party and feared he might lose, according to previously confidential papers.Documents released to the National Archives under the 30-year rule reveal that European capitals did not share Mr Major’s – now Sir John – confidence about his chances.In the summer of 1995 Sir John had grown so tired of attacks from Tory Eurosceptics he announced a leadership contest, telling his detractors to “put up or shut up”.The gauntlet was taken up by Welsh secretary John Redwood, one of the cabinet Eurosceptics famously dubbed “b*****ds” by Sir John.Roderic Lyne, Sir John’s private secretary for foreign affairs, was detailed to brief key allies on the thinking behind the move. “My message was that they need not fear your departure. This was a bold step to stamp your authority on dissidents and would greatly strengthen your position,” he informed the prime minister.He reported that Irish premier John Bruton was “watching developments avidly and with close concern” while Bill Clinton was offering to make a supportive intervention “if the bureaucrats allowed it”.Helmut Kohl, the German chancellor, was believed to be particularly worried that Sir John might lose.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday“Helmut was very grateful for the inside story and was crossing all his fingers (I said you wouldn’t need them!),” Mr Lyne, now Sir Roderic, reported. “Helmut asked if there was anything he could do – or not do – which would be helpful to you.”
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