Embattled PM rounds on Cherie Blair for ‘rewriting history’

Gordon Brown has accused Cherie Blair of rewriting history in her memoirs. Mrs Blair claimed in interviews promoting her book, Speaking for Myself, that her husband would have left office before the 2005 election if Brown had supported Tony Blair's public service reforms.

Brown rebutted her claims at his Downing Street press conference on Thursday, saying the Treasury proposed many of the public sector reforms. "Many were pushed forward by the Treasury," he added. "You start rewriting history."

He defended objecting to Foundation Hospitals at the time on the grounds that Alan Milburn had wanted them to be financially free standing which would have meant the Treasury would have been forced to underwrite any loans they took out, even if they had risked going bust.

The fact is - the Mole has learnt from Brown's friends at the time - Blair refused to hand over to his Chancellor in 2004 because he had survived the Hutton inquiry and the subsequent Butler inquiry on Iraq and the intelligence failings, and realised that if he went at that time, it would look like he was admitting guilt in some way.

So Blair told Brown that he would have to go on through the next election. That is why Brown got so steamed up about Blair breaking his promises and why it nearly came to a bust-up in late 2004. None of that is reflected in Cherie's memoirs.

The discussion of Mrs Blair's book was one of the rare lively moments in Brown's press conference, which had even hard-bitten hacks admitting they are now starting to feel sorry for the man. He stood there in a blue suit and red tie, smiling at inappropriate moments, and taking all the brickbats with good humour.

He was asked repeatedly whether he was up to the job, who he would prefer to have as his replacement, and when it was he made the political decision to bribe the voters at the Crewe and Nantwich by-election with a £2.7bn tax cut.

Andy Bell of Radio Five News asked the Prime Minister whether, given that many people in business have to go through mid-term reviews, he could tell us what he felt he could do better. George Pascoe Watson of the Sun said the PM expected to be judged on the economy - so why was he so confident that the economy would turn around?

Brown delivered the same mantra: it was the international credit crunch that caused the trouble, and Britain was well placed to weather the storm thanks to his brilliant leadership during ten years at the Treasury.

Brown had already endured a round of the television studios and a tedious exchange with John Humphrys on the Radio 4 Today programme. The Downing Street tactic was quite clear: put him up so often that the media get tired of hounding him. In that way, they hope that the firestorm will burn itself out. And it may just work.

THE MOLE: MEMOIRS ROW

FIRST POSTED MAY 15, 2008