UK NEWS

CHERIE’S BOOK KEPT SECRET FROM NO. 10

Brown was in the dark over book

Sunday May 11,2008

By Kirsty Buchanan

DOWNING Street was kept in the dark about the timing of Cherie Blair’s explosive book, in which she claims her husband was hounded out of office by Gordon Brown.

The book’s launch was brought forward by four months and Downing Street only discovered from internet blogs that two national newspapers were planning to serialise extracts on the eve of publication.

Senior sources inside No 10 admitted they were caught on the back foot over the autobiography – which will fuel claims of a Blairite plot to oust the embattled Mr Brown from office.

This comes just weeks after Lord Levy, Mr Blair’s former chief fundraiser, questioned Mr Brown’s ability to do the top job.

And last night former Blairite Cabinet Minister Stephen Byers was planning to publish a scathing attack on Mr Brown’s tax reforms.

Mrs Blair’s withering assessment of Mr Brown’s loyalty and ability to lead could not come at a worse time for the Premier.

He faces plunging popularity in the polls, backbench revolts over tax and anti-terror reforms, Cabinet colleagues jockeying for the succession and Labour staring at defeat in the Crewe and Nantwich by-election in two weeks time.

The book, Speaking For Myself, was due to be published in September – threatening to overshadow the Labour conference.

Mrs Blair’s PR insists the decision to bring forward the publication date to May 15 was made by publishers Little, Brown because of widespread speculation about its content.

Liz Sich, managing director of Colman Getty, said: “It was a decision made by the publishers a few months ago.”

Asked if Downing Street was consulted, Ms Sich said: “I don’t believe it was. This is a book about a complete life. There is a lot about her youth in Liverpool and her career, it is not just about the Downing Street years.”

The extracts, published on the first anniversary of Tony Blair’s official resignation as Labour leader, paint Mr Brown as a power-hungry rival.

Mrs Blair accuses Mr Brown of “rattling the keys” of Downing Street over her husband’s head.

And she sensationally claims that her husband would have stood down as Prime Minister before the 2005 general election if Mr Brown had been prepared to back his
public service reforms.

“Tony would have stood down, there is no question,” she said. “Instead of which, Tony felt he had no option but to stay on and fight for the things that he believed in.

“I was convinced that if Tony failed to stand for a third term, it would be seen as a response to the negative criticism of the war. It would be read by history as a tacit admission of failure.”