Purnell: Make me look like an idiot

James Purnell, former work and pensions secretary

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Tuesday, 21, Jul 2009 09:37

By politics.co.uk staff

James Purnell has admitted he wants to be proved wrong about Gordon Brown's capacity as prime minister, and hopes a Labour victory will make him look "an absolute idiot".

In a series of media interviews capped off with an appearance on Newsnight last night, the former work and pensions secretary looked back at the letter he wrote upon his resignation arguing the current PM makes a Tory victory "more, not less likely".

"I do hope that I turn out to be completely wrong about it," he said.

"I hope I look an absolute idiot on election day and the Labour party does win and that Gordon is a success.

"I said what I said, it's old history - now what I'm doing is moving on to new ideas and being able to help to contribute in the way that I can outside government."

He added: "I think I was honest. I said something which I believed to be true and the reasons for that are very clear in my letter."

Mr Purnell has launched a three-year Open Left project with thinktank Demos to examine the state of the left after over a decade of Labour government, but there is some criticism of the former minister for speaking more openly about left wing ideals than he ever did in power.

"I think what we need to do is renew ourselves and I think that goes through idealism," he said of Labour party members.

"I think it goes through going back to our basic principles and articulating them for today."