Baroness Vadera has staff problems

One of Gordon Brown's most trusted advisors, Baroness (Shriti) Vadera (pictured), who works under Lord Mandelson at the Department for Business, is facing increasing criticism for her somewhat demanding attitude in the work place. Six of the 10 staff in permanent positions in her private office have left since her appointment in January, an unfortunate state of affairs which has earnt her the nickname "Shriti the Shriek" and led to gags along the lines of "I'm a civil servant, get me out of here".

"She commands huge loyalty, but she is also demanding and tough," one Downing Street source said. That may be the case, but another source claims that her working methods have necessitated the creation of a "relationship manager" post to soothe the embattled staff. Lady Vadera's spokesman denies this, saying the official concerned is a "strategy adviser".

Alan Duncan, the shadow Business Secretary, is unconvinced: "Hardly a week goes by without somebody phoning us to say we really ought to look at how she behaves. Something is going on here. We really need to know just what." The Tories have asked to know the number of complaints by staff about Treasury advisers while Lady Vadera worked there, but have been blocked on the grounds that they could involve "sensitive personal data".

The 45-year-old former banker, who spent 14 years at UBS Warburg before becoming an advisor to Brown in 1999, is no stranger to the odd, ill-chosen remark. She briefly hit the headlines when she dismissed disgruntled shareholders in Railtrack as "grannies" after it was put into administration.