ugh Darling’s memoirs are not to be published until next Wednesday, a few extracts have been leaked today to the left-wing blog Labour Uncut. Alistair Darling rarely showed emotion to the public, which is why his memoirs should prove to be an extremely interesting read. Even Labour ministers are likely to pick up the revealing book as the reserved former chancellor rarely spoke out about grievances or concerns.
Back from the Brink: 1,000 days at No 11 is set to expose the supposed ‘brutal and volcanic’ behaviour of former PM, Gordon Brown. The memoirs go into great detail about the mutual disagreements between the two men; and set straight the rumour that Brown tried to sack the Chancellor in 2009.
The book exacerbates claims of deep divisions within the Labour party, with factions between Blairites (Blair supporters, mostly focused on New Labour) and Brownites (Brown supporters, mostly in favour of more traditional Labour policies) being discussed throughout the memoirs. Like Blair in A Journey, Darling alludes to apparent blackmailing by Brown. He is also reported to have singled out Ed Balls as a key ally of Brown, accusing him of running a parallel Treasury operation during their time in office.
Alas, Brown is not the only victim of Darling’s criticism with the book reportedly describing Mervyn King, Bank of England governor, as ‘amazingly stubborn and exasperating’ whilst discussing the financial crisis of 2008.
Darling’s memoirs will not only be excellent bedtime reading for Labour ministers but Conservative and Liberal Democrats alike. Sayeeda Warsi, Conservative party chairman, explains that the claims illustrate Labour’s tendancy to put internal divisions above the national interest. She also suggests that the memoirs “should give Ed Miliband some concerns about Ed Balls’ suitability to be Shadow Chancellor”. She exclaimed “no wonder Labour left the nation’s finances in such a mess when they put party political plotting above the national interest”.
Atlantic Books, the publishers of the memoirs, have yet to comment on the accuracy of the revelations as they have secured a deal with a Sunday newspaper.
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