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Journalism of Courage
A government insider has fanned talk of a rift at the heart of British politics with new revelations of tensions between Prime Minister Tony Blair and his powerful Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown.
In Off Whitehall, Derek Scott, Blair’s former economic adviser, tells how the PM, in 1998, summoned Brown for details of the budget and, after a 20-minute monologue on foreign affairs, meekly asked for information. ‘‘The Chancellor…growled ‘I haven’t made my mind up yet’,’’ he wrote. ‘‘(Blair) simply said: ‘Give us a hint, Gordon.’’’ Scott added: ‘‘I can think of no other PM who would have put up with such behaviour.’’
Folklore in the ‘‘Whitehall Village’’ of British politics holds that they struck a deal in a North London restaurant in 1994 for Blair to relinquish power to Brown. That has not happened and Blair is in his seventh year of power, heading towards a likely third poll victory in 2005. Hence, the speculation goes, Brown’s fury at the man who was once his junior companion.
Scott says communications were so poor that Brown officials had to be smuggled into Blair’s office by the back door. The offices of Blair and Brown maintained silence on Monday. —(Reuters)
