Tories dump the trusty sword of truth to deny jailbird Aitkin is advising them...

Convicted criminal Jonathan Aitkin returning to the Tory fold to advise on prison reform raised eyebrows this week. So I had to laugh at Edward Garnier MP today trying to put blue water between the Tory Party and his former colleague (to be clear, they were colleagues on the Tory benches in the House of Commons in the Thatcher/Major years, not fellow lags in HMP Belmarsh of course!)

Mr Garnier, MP for Harborough, Leicestershire, was on the East Midlands edition of the BBC Politics Show and couldn't help jumping on a comment about former Tory high-flier Jonathan Aitkin now advising the Tory Party.

"Not the Tory Party, the Centre for Social Justice," says Mr Garnier, as if there was no relationship between the two - and not wishing to be reminded that Aitkin served time at Her Majesty's Pleasure for perjury...

Writing in today's Sunday Times, on Aitkin himself trying to make the same distinction, journalist Rosie Millard says:

What humbug: Duncan Smith is a former Conservative leader...the Centre for Social Justice advises David Cameron on social issues, does it not? I’d say that’s rather near the hot spot of Tory influence.

And I'd say you don't need a trusty sword of truth to know that's a fair cop...

Now, what were those famous Aitkin words again...

"If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer of bent and twisted journalism in our country with the simple sword of truth and the trusty shield of honesty, then so be it..."