Brooding Brown reveals his inner Heathcliff

No doubt prompted by his spin-doctors, Gordon Brown has finally revealed something of his deep, inner self. But was it wise? In an interview with the New Statesman, the PM likened himself to Heathcliff, Emily Bronte's dark, brooding vengeful character (played onscreen by a string of actors including Sir Laurence Olivier [above right with Merle Oberon]) who died a broken man haunted by the ghost of his former lover whose body he exhumed twice. Asked if he was similar to the character, he replied "absolutely correct", although he quickly added: "Well, maybe an older Heathcliff, a wiser Heathcliff."

Needless to say, Brown’s assertion has prompted a bemused response. Andrew McCarthy, the acting director of the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Yorkshire, told the Daily Telegraph: "Heathcliff is a man prone to domestic violence, kidnapping, possibly murder, and digging up his dead lover. He is moody and unkind to animals. Is this really a good role model for a prime minister?"

The novel in which Heathcliff features, Wuthering Heights, is the tale of the all-consuming, yet doomed love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw. Their unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them.

With this in mind, Vince Cable, the Lib Dem treasury spokesman who memorably said in the House of Commons last November that Brown had been transformed from "Stalin to Mr Bean", accepts some similarities. "Heathcliff may be dark and brooding but he is also ruthless and vindictive. He ended his life a broken and tormented man haunted by a ghost. Tony Blair perhaps?"

The PM also reveals to the New Statesman that he no longer drinks alcohol and is fighting to stop biting his nails. "I tend not to drink. You've got to be fresh in the morning," he said. "I've tried to stop biting my nails. They're pretty good." Not very Heathcliff, that.