Colleagues Criticize Hague for Gay Denial

Some conservative colleagues say that British foreign secretary William Hague showed poor PR judgment with his public denial of a gay affair, claiming that his statement has only sparked more interest in long-running rumors about his sexuality.

This week, Hague denied any intimate involvement with Christopher Myers, an aide with whom he shared a hotel room. Myers quit his job Wednesday.

Some political insiders have criticized both the sleeping arrangements and the affair denial as naive, according to the Daily Telegraph.

"His highly unusual decision to make a public statement on Wednesday about his sexuality -- in which he also revealed the personal tragedy of his wife's repeated miscarriages -- is regarded as a serious lapse of judgment by close friends and PR gurus alike, as it alerted the entire country to a smear which, until then, few people had been aware of," reports the Telegraph.

The Telegraph adds that some people have long believed Hague was gay because he championed gay rights as a student at Oxford University and remained a bachelor for many years. Tory PR specialists advised him not to respond to the latest rumors because of this context.