MPs furious at ongoing Blair – Brown saga
Labour MPs have expressed their fury at the ongoing media coverage of the relationship between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor.
At last night’s meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, backbench MPs made their frustration clear at the renewed diet of newspaper stories on the supposed ‘deal’ to succeed the leadership.
A new book out this week by journalist Robert Preston reignited allegations that Tony Blair reneged on a deal to step down as Prime Minister in 2004, to the fury of Gordon Brown.
Bizarre scheduling of public appointments by the Prime Minister and the Chancellor in the last week has further fanned the flames of the story.
This saw Mr Blair give a press conference at exactly the same time as a major policy speech by Mr Brown. Then, it emerged that Mr Blair will set out Labour’s election priorities in a speech on Thursday – while Mr Brown is away in Africa.
Both men have attempted to put a lid on the row, with Mr Blair insisting that the allegations have been dealt with repeatedly over the past six years and the two men are “united”.
But, MPs are concerned that the public perception of the row could harm Labour’s general election chances.
The two reportedly received a dressing down from senior backbenchers at last night’s private meeting with various un-named MPs labelling it a “scorching” or a “gold-plated bollocking”.
Stephen Pound, MP for Ealing North told Sky News: “Some people said tonight that if these people around the Prime Minister and the Chancellor don’t stop this nonsense, this poisonous briefing, then they are going to be named, because they can’t skulk in the darkness forever.”
Today, Labour will be launching its new poster campaign, which was held back last week out of respect for the tsunami victims.
The party hopes that it will be seen as a show of unity, as it will see the Chancellor share a platform with election co-ordinator Alan Milburn. The Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott will also be present at the launch.
