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A SPECIAL advisor to Gordon Brown resigned today over a series of emails in which he discussed smearing top Tories.

The offending messages are said to contain lurid and unfounded allegations about the private lives of David Cameron and George Osborne, along with other Conservative MPs.

Damian McBride, the Prime Minister’s ex-political press officer, sent them via a Downing Street account to Derek Draper.

A close friend of Lord Mandelson, Mr Draper writes a left-wing blog and runs the website LabourList.org.uk.

This afternoon Tory MP Charles Clarke, a former Home Secretary, called for Mr McBride to be dismissed.

“Damian McBride has no place in 10 Downing Street," he said. “His actions bring shame to the Labour party and he should be dismissed immediately.”

The call to sack Gordon Brown’s aide came after Downing Street was forced to issue an apology earlier today.

In an attempt to distance itself from the growing scandal Downing Street denied all prior knowledge of the emails.

A Number 10 spokesman said the emails were ‘juvenile and inappropriate’ and were written and sent without the knowledge of the Prime Minister.

Mr McBride, a special adviser in Downing Street, stopped dealing with the media on a day-to-day basis following the resignation of the former Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly in September 2008.

He was given responsibility for strategy and planning after staying on at Number 10.

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