Mandelson: Blair-Brown rift a storm in an eggcup
Tuesday, 26 September 2006 12:00 AM
Arch Blairite Peter Mandelson has said Gordon Brown never got over losing out on leadership of the Labour party in 1994.
A "deep breach" opened up between the Brown-Blair camps after the latter was elected party leader, the EU trade commissioner claimed. However, he insisted the prime minister would welcome Mr Brown as future leader.
Speaking on the speculation over who will take over as Labour leader and prime minister when Mr Blair steps down - which he has promised to do before next May - Mr Mandelson told Today the "most important thing to the prime minister was that Labour won a fourth term".
He said: "The one thing that Tony Blair wants following him - and he has always said this to me and others who are close to him - is that he wants to be succeeded by somebody who is if anything stronger than him, more determined than him, more of a moderniser than him, more of reformer than him."
And Mr Blair believes the chancellor has "those qualities" that can take Labour to electoral victory.
Talking of "a fissure" since the 1994 leadership contest, when "Gordon thought that he could and should have been leader", Mr Mandelson said "he [Mr Brown] has never fully reconciled himself to not doing so".
"A very deep breach opened up, and one that, let's hope, can be closed with the passage of time," he said, adding the chancellor recognises "that actually Tony has done very well" and "been a successful Labour prime minister".
Mr Brown's speech to the Labour party conference yesterday showed he "is a man with a mission," Mr Mandelson commented, praising his "modesty".
He argued that unity in Labour was essential if the party was to win the next general election, adding: "I heard in the speech yesterday a coming to terms with the need to change to a more collaborative and unifying style."
Calling for a leadership contest when Mr Blair steps down, Mr Mandelson said the chancellor has leadership potential because he "is a modest man" with "real depth" who is able to "set a direction for the country".
The media had been hoping for a "great bust up" between Mr Brown and Tony Blair at the Labour party conference in Manchester this week, Mr Mandelson said, accusing journalists of exaggerating a rift between the two.
"They [journalists] have resorted to what I call mediatrics," he said.
"Mediatrics are dramatics conjured up by the media to create a good story for their front pages.
"When these stories parachute onto the front pages they have got to be addressed but the fact is that it is a storm on an eggcup - it doesn't even make the size of teacup."
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