I got a call this afternoon from the Guernsey Press demanding I redact the name of the HM Treasury Press Officer on the email sent to them I published earlier today.

They said they were calling for HM Treasury. Heaven knows why. I’m not hard to find!

I refused. A press officer is accountable.

I suspect they wanted to know how I got their email — which is something quite different. They still don’t know.

But Ted Vibert in Jersey went one further — he mauiled HMT and asked if the email reflected official policy. So, here’s the response:

From: Vitkovitch, Stephen

To: tedvibert[at]gmail.com

Cc: Clark, Jez

Sent: Friday, December 10, 2010 5:02 PM

Subject: [UNCLASSIFIED] EU Code of Conduct for Business Taxation

Dear Ted,

I am a policy official and can confirm the views of the “HM Treasury Spokesperson” quoted in the Guernsey Post on 8 December were not personal views but the position of HM Treasury. They were passed on in response to a query.

Regards,

Stephen Vitkovitch

Stephen Vitkovitch | Policy Adviser, Corporate Tax Team | HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, SW1A 2HQ | +44 (0)20 7270 6024

Yes it is.

And it’s unclassified.

No need to redact then.

So was the Guernsey Press telling me the whole story? After all, what’s so sensitive about a press officer’s name?

And, thanks Ted.

PS Don’t you just love the Treasury Postcode — and these things are chosen by the way — they’re not allocated like a household. HQ. Egos run wild!