Saturday, July 24, 2010

Gordon Brown strike by uninformed bullying allegations Politics The Guardian

Gordon Brown dash pic

No 10 has pronounced claims of slight bad poise to staff, together with youth polite servants, were a antagonistic falsehood. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

The cupboard secretary, Sir Gus O"Donnell, was tonight underneath vigour to launch a grave review in to Gordon Brown"s diagnosis of his staff after an anti-bullying helpline suggested it has perceived multiform complaints from people operative at No 10. It follows announcement by the Observer publisher Andrew Rawnsley of hotly- doubtful allegations about Brown mistreating staff, together with assertions that he swore at staff, grabbed them by lapels and announced at them.

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Rawnsley additionally claimed O"Donnell had warned Brown to shift his behaviour.

The Conservatives responded to the allegations by suggesting "there might have been a cover up at the heart of supervision over the budding minister"s behaviour".

The National Anti-bullying Helpline gift went open after the commercial operation secretary, Lord Mandelson, flatly denied Rawnsley"s claims, insisting that Brown was simply "demanding", "emotional, "and had a grade of impatience".

Christine Pratt, the helpline"s director, said: "We are not suggesting he is a bully. What we are observant is there are people in his bureau operative without delay with him that have issues and concerns, and have contacted the helpline. We hold the benefaction matter put out by Lord Mandelson is a unsteadiness and non-credible."

She pronounced 4 staff had contacted the helpline, the last one usually a couple of months ago. "I have privately taken a call from staff in the budding minister"s office, staff who hold they are operative in a bullying enlightenment and that it has caused them a little stress," she said.

The explain of slight bullying was currently corroborated up a comparison former confidant to Brown in No 10, who told the Guardian: "His heated bouts of annoy are mediocre to any one who has worked closely with him. You usually have to put up with this stuff. It is piece of the every day experience, roughly piece of the furniture. He would handle in that approach constantly. He suffers from a large mental disorder and an incapacity to accept blame, nonetheless he runs a censure enlightenment that allows him to censure others.

Guardian personality bard Tom Clark on either allegations of bullying by the PM in Andrew Rawnsley"s book will harm Labour Link to this audio

"He does not find to win an argument, he usually seeks to bully. If you have not worked closely with him before, it is indeed shocking. The some-more he trusts you, the some-more he vents."

The source was certain O"Donnell had been told of staff melancholy at Brown"s poise and had lifted the issue with the budding minister.

O"Donnell is expected to be grilled about what he knows and did by the probity name cupboard on Wednesday. Downing Street will be uneasy by the helpline"s intervention.

The Swindon-based helpline was set up in 1997 and insisted it was not domestic nor looking publicity. The Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe is the enthusiast and it quotes await from David Cameron on the website.

Pratt insisted: "Outright rejection is usually non-credible in today"s age. Over new months we have had multiform inquiries from staff inside of Gordon Brown"s office. Some have downloaded information; a little have essentially called the helpline without delay and I have oral to staff in his office."

Widdecombe pronounced she would have elite the helpline to stay out of the row, as the cases should sojourn confidential. The gift has an additional Conservative patron, councillor Mary O"Connor, but Widdecombe shielded the organization as "utterly non-political".

However, supervision sources questioned the charity"s credentials, suggesting it had done no strike with No 10 and operated usually dual doors afar from the internal Conservative party.

William Hague, the shade unfamiliar secretary, pronounced the allegations valid Brown was not "cut out for the job". He pronounced on Sky News: "I don"t think he has ever unequivocally shown that he can lead a happy group and may be if there is law in any of these allegations, that"s piece of the reason why." The Liberal Democrat"s Treasury spokesman, Vince Cable, pronounced Rawnsley"s allegations were "worrying".

No 10 pronounced the claims of slight bad poise to staff, together with youth polite servants, were a antagonistic falsehood. The Cabinet Office widened the rejection tonight, saying: "It is utterly wrong to contend that the cupboard cabinet member ever gave the budding apportion a written notice over his behaviour." It additionally denied claims by Rawnsley that staff in Downing Street had been so taken by surpise by Brown"s poise that O"Donnell systematic a grave investigation.

But Rawnsley pronounced he had claimed usually that O"Donnell had done "his own investigations" and had since Brown a written warning. He pronounced his sources for the story were "24 carat".

Mandelson embellished a design of a man who "gets indignant but customarily with himself, who doesn"t brag people". He combined that Brown "does not similar to receiving no for an answer" and there was "a grade of impatience" about him, but he said: "I don"t think he so most bullies people as he is really perfectionist of people."

In his book, Rawnsley alleges that:

• A domestic adviser, Stewart Wood, was "roughly shoved aside" and sworn at after arranging a lunchtime accepting for EU ambassadors, and that Brown said, "Why are you creation me encounter these fucking people? I don"t wish to encounter these fucking people", prior to attack in to the room.

• When sensitive by the emissary arch of staff, Gavin Kelly, that HM Revenue and Customs had lost computer disks containing the personal interpretation of twenty million people, Brown "leapt opposite the room," and "grabbing a dismayed Kelly by the collar, embroiled "they are out to get me"."

• Told unwelcome headlines in the behind of his central car, the PM "reacted by overhanging behind an arm and clenching his fist" ­causing an help to quiver fearing he"d be hit.

• Brown was "incandescent" with fury when he found out a journal was copy a story that his keynote celebration con­ference debate borrowed phrases from US politicians. He screamed at maestro ­American speechwriter Bob Shrum: "How could you fucking do this to me" and swore at aides to leave the room. Shrum has denied the claims.

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