THE only question for Liam Fox all week has been when the accumulating evidence against him would become too heavy to bear. Ironically that moment came yesterday on the day that his first responsibility for military action as Defence Secretary ended successfully in Libya. The prime minister's letter accepting Dr Fox's resignation referred to the superb job he has done at the Ministry of Defence but ministers have to be more than efficient. They are required to observe rules and maintain standards -- something Dr Fox admitted in his resignation letter he had failed to do by mistakenly blurring the distinction between his personal and professional responsibilities. Yesterday's revelation that the activities of Adam Werritty, Dr Fox's close friend and self-styled adviser, have been funded by a private intelligence group with a close interest in Sri Lanka and a property investor whose organisation lobbies on behalf of Israel was probably the last straw on the minister's back.
There may be more in the Cabinet Secretary's report but for the moment interest will turn to Liam Fox's successor with names ranging from the virtually unknown Owen Patterson to the better known Andrew Mitchell and Philip Hammond -- and even to a return for the vastly experienced Malcolm Rifkind.
The prime minister has kept an almost unchanged Cabinet for 17 months and will not want the disruption of a general reshuffle.
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