Dr Fox cancels interviews but hangs onto job

The defence secretary is back from a day trip to Paris. His joint press conference with his French opposite number there was cancelled. A trip to Barrow tomorrow has also been cancelled. At the moment, Dr Fox can’t perform his normal duties.

As far as I can work out the cabinet secretary has given Liam Fox’s friend Adam Werritty a bit of time to come up with the documentation to prove where his money comes from.

A second meeting between the senior cabinet office official Sue Grey and Adam Werritty is expected to happen tomorrow (Thurdsay) in London. That could be decisive for Liam Fox’s future and as I mentioned earlier, a big benefit of having this investigation done by the cabinet secretary is that the news would filter through pretty quickly to the PM’s desk if something seriously damaging turns up.

Read more: Liam Fox denies he tried to hide male guest

Some around Westminster felt today that The Sun’s story (suggesting that there had been a cover-up about a younger man staying at Liam Fox’s house when it was broken into last May) may actually have helped to shore up Dr Fox’s position.

But it is the prime minister’s interpretation of the ministerial code that Liam Fox will be judged against. Some argue that based on what we already know Dr Fox is in breach of the code. But David Cameron thinks he hasn’t yet seen evidence that he is guilty of serious, sackable breaches of the code. A bigger breach would have to surface for Dr Fox to go.