Bloomberg: Cherie Blair walks out of Brown speech

George Osborne has reacted to Gordon Brown's speech (the main points of which can be read here):

“Gordon Brown tries to present himself as the face of change but who has been running the government for the last nine years?  He said Britain suffers from a poverty of opportunity, a lack of affordable housing and poor care for elderly people - but he has had nine years to deal with these problems.  This is a terrible record of failure. If the British people want change then they will have to vote for it.”

But it will be Cherie Blair's reported reaction that is set to steal the headlines (Bloomberg):

"Tony Blair's wife, Cherie, walked out of a speech by U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, accusing him of misleading the public about his relationship with the prime minister.  As Brown told the Labour Party conference in Manchester that it had been a "privilege for me to work with and for'' the premier, Mrs. Blair left the conference center saying "well that's a lie.''  Brown has been accused by Blair allies including former Home Secretary Charles Clarke of plotting to undermine his leadership. Blair has been in charge of the Labour Party for 12 years, since Brown stood aside to give him a clear run at the leadership."

Comments

[Andrew Woodman]

Dreadful man. Dreadful woman. Dreadful party.

[John Moss]

The BBC seem to be blind to Cherie's antics and are not covering it. is this another example of BBC bias? Are they playing along with the (Labour) party line on "unity" this week?

I think we should be told.

[malcolm]

The BBC has only published a denial.It would be good if they have got it wrong.

[archie henderson]

IN todays Daily Mail, There was a story about her becoming an MP after Tony stands down. I dont know if there is any truth in it or not, but what a thought, one is enough, no more please.

[leon]

Poor old Brown, he must be fuming at the news that her utterances (calling someone a liar and being married to King of Deceit is a bit rich) curtailing his headlines!

[Mark Wadsworth]

Brilliant!

In the same way that I never liked the Pope until the Islamists started laying in to him, if CB really did this, then she has gone up hugely in my estimation, i.e. from a large negative to a smaller negative reading.

[Mark Fulford]

Cherie Blair’s walk-out was either an emotional outburst or a deliberate spoiler. It seems very unlikely that a QC can’t keep her emotions under control, but even less likely that she’d do a spoiler without Tony’s say-so. It seems to me that Tony has killed the truce and now we can expect the gloves to come off.

[Man in a Shed]

Agree with Mark Fulford on this. The clever part would be that it detracts from Gordon's speech - just when he can no longer reply - having sworn loyalty to Blair. But at the same time reminding everyone of his disloyalty and his being unfit to be leader.

Perhaps he should have studied English history then he would understand Morton's Fork on which he has just been impaled better ( now there was a real 'Lord' chancelor ).

[Graham D'Amiral]

I saw the daily politics coverage this earlier, their reporter summed it up well without knowing for sure whether she said this or not it is the kind of thing people will have no trouble believing she might have said.

As for the speech itself,I thought it was a little flat and all that stuff about his family background a pretty cringeworthy attempt to humanise the Chancellor. As for his line "I'm more interested in the Artic circle than the Artic monkeys that really is a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

I doubt we've ever had a more centralising government than this one so Gordon's attempt to sell himself as a great advocate of devolving power is likely to fail the credibility test.

George Osborne is quite right the trick the chancellor is trying to pull is showing that he is a break with the past despite the fact his finger prints are all over government policy of the last 9 years.

[malcolm]

Evening Standard billboard, 'Cherie,Brown lied'.Excellent!

[James Maskell]

There was a simple choice for the leadership of the Labour Party. Stop the spat and sort out a way of getting the leadership question dealt with without bloodshed, or civil war. Clearly the latter has been chosen.

While Im really enjoying this battle, the fact is they are in government and this is something the public are getting tired of. Itll now overshadow Blair's speech. Do they not have a roll of gaffer tape on them? A brown bag too might not be a bad idea either...

[a-tracy]

Nothing worse than a woman scorned.

[James Maskell]

Anyone notice Prescotts reactions during the speech? He seemed very reluctant to clap and looked grumpy the whole way through, whilst his neighbour Blair was beaming the whole speech. At one point when the audience was clapping, the camera showed Blair clapping but Prescott not joining in until he realised Blair was and even then it seemed very half-hearted.

I guess Id be pretty pi$$ed too if I was the Deputy Prime Minister and no one was talking up chances of me going up a notch but cheered on the guy on the platform...

[Tory T]

Here we have a serious journalist - a member of the lobby - reporting remarks he personally heard Cherie Blair make.

In response, the New Labour machine is going into spin overdrive to deny the story and trash the reporter's credibility.

There is only really one question:

What will the BBC do? Will it report the situation as it would have done if Dennis Thatcher had been overheard calling Major a liar - ie - big, big news - or will it be cowed into submission?

[Andrew]

I heard the report on BBC radio 5 before anywhere else - so much for bias.

[Wallenstein]

I think we can expect a hasty denial to end this storm in a teacup. If the BBC aren't mentioning it, it's probably because it's totally insignificent.

Let's focus instead on Osborne and his suitability to succeed Brown. Sadly
"inexperience" seems to scream from every pore.

So was it true or untrue that Osborne supported the exciting and forward-looking policy of flat-rate tax?

If so, why isn't he promoting it now?

[T sinden]

Osborne : "This is a terrible record of failure. If the British people want change then they will have to vote for it.”

- what about the English people .

They have voted and they do want change . Increasingly that change is coming to be encapsualted in the idea of an English Parliament .

[Wallenstein]

Yep. No 10 denies Cherie ever said it so there's an end to that red herring.

T Sinden, you could be right about an English Parliament. How do you see it happening, though?

[James Maskell]

T sinden, England is part of Britain...

[Julian Williams]

Times on line say the comment was made outside the conference hall in front of a tv monitor and over heard by a Bloomberg correspondent who is standing by her story.

[Disillusioned]

More important than Cherie's outburst is Gordon's admission that he let his fighting with Tony distract him. That is unbelievable!

www.disillusionedandbored.blogspot.com a new political blog

[malcolm]

'If the BBC aren't mentioning mentioning it,it's probably because it is totally insignificant'- Wallenstein. Are you are troll that likes peddling Nulabour spin or just a fool or both?

[Wallenstein]

No Malcolm. I just prefer to view silly and unimportant incidents in a cool, detached and relatively non-partisan manner.

Cherie Blair is an unelected far-left nobody. Who cares what she thinks anyway.

Reading some of your posts I get the impression that you are totally obsessed with your hero "Dave". I assume you are either hell to live with or the resident pub bore.

[James Maskell]

As shes a QC with a specialism in human rights as well as being the wife of Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, if she says something, it tends to attract attention.

[Graham D'Amiral]

The bloomberg producer who says she heard Cherie Blair say it was on Channel 4 news tonight standing by her story.

[T Sinden]

To Wallenstein and James Maskell ,

Re the position of England .

I always used to accept that England was part of " Britain " and vice versa that Scotland , Wales and NI were also . However , with the advent of devolved parliaments for Scotland , Wales and soon Ulster , there is only one fair and logical arrangement for England - to have her own national parliament with equal rights and competencies with that of Scotland etc . At present we are still directly ruled by the British parliament and this is anomalous and profoundly inequitable . England has been specifically singled out for denial of basic democratic rights ie her own parliament and institutions - by the British state . Worse , the British state would break up England into regions with the intention of ending England altogether . That same British parliament , which includes MP's for non English constituencies , who have no legitiamate democratic relevance to England any more , operates a consistent policy of anti Englishness . Thus , the Barnett Rules ( denounced as vile and intolerable by Ld . Barnett himself on numerous occasions ) carefully suckmoney out of England for transfer to the celtic fringe . That MP's for celtic comstituencies can have a say in English affairs ( eg top up fees , the English NHS , nursing home funding and so on ) is totally unaceptable .

Not terribly difficult to grasp really . Pretty simple actually . Large numbers of the English are in the process of withdrawing their loyalty from the British idea and in doing so are refinding England .

The idea of Great Britain is fading fast - a great pity and yet there is a dynamic new England just waiting to be found and fostered - it has always been there . The big parties , including the idiotic Tories who have the most to gain by championing England and the most to lose by not doing so , are increasingly becoming obsolete because they cling on to a vision of the past now destroyed by Blair .
Evidence of this is the position of Brown - that he is a Scottish MP ie for a Scottish constituency would have been considered irrelevant 10 years ago , today it is central to any assessment of him .

Whichever of the main parties comes out first for an English parliament is very likely to gain a clear lead in the opinion polls - in England - which is 85% of Great Britain .

[malcolm]

Thanks Wallenstein, really witty response-not! The fact that the wife of the Prime Minister thinks his likely successor is a liar is in my humble opinion a fairly big story.Most broadcasters this evening seem to think so too.Our state broadcaster at least on News At Ten ignored it.I think that's a pretty big story too.Only a committed Nulabour spinner or a moron would disagree I think.

[Editor]

I have now attempted to ban Wallenstein. I have warned him on previous occasions about personal attacks and he has repeatedly ignored those warnings.

[Richard Carey]

I have just listened to the Brown speech, and listening to one line a thought struck me (it does happen)!

"There are still challenges ahead in Britain. There are still noble purses... er, purposes worth fighting for..."

Surely a Freudian slip worthy of a Chameleon Army parody of Brown as a sneaky pick-pocket? Okay, or another one?

[Jon White]

Did Bloomberg actually tape the her saying it? If so, they should release the tape urgently. The PM's wife (and brain) calls Brown a liar, then lies that she said it. Wonderful! They say people get what they deserve eventually, and now I believe it. This dreadful woman has shown her true colours. I almost (only almost) feel sorry for Gordon on this one. A party of liars, rotten from top to bottom!

[Jon White]

In fairness too, albeit slanted towards Mrs. Blair's viewpoint, the BBC web-site is reporting the story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/5379166.stm

[Ben Redsell]

I'm amazed that this story even broke. It's a sign of the way the Labour Party's infamous media centre has fallen apart that this wasn't quashed by either a juicy leak or a promised exclusive. Ali Campbell would never have allowed this story to see the light of day.

Once they lose control of the media, they've lost the ability to influence the agenda. Hence their inability to counteract DC's pronouncements. Conservative news is nearly always positively spun by the media, whilst every Labour story is spun as part of the leadership battle.

The real crime of course is that while Labour are concentrating on who gets what job, muppets like Patricia Hewitt are left to get on with ruining the NHS. 60 A&E departments to close in Eastern England? We thought last year was bad with the closure of four Cottage Hospitals in Suffolk. Now we face losing a District General Hospital, as well as all the other cuts, not to mention major restructuring at the other District General Hospital, and all the time the Labour party, including local Labour MP Chris Mole, are more interested in Gordon and Tony and Alan and John than in us. The voters. The people who have to put up with their sh*t Government.

[Opinicus]

What are the Artic monkeys?

[James Maskell]

I cant be the only one thinking it unusual that the big argument being used by Conservatives to protect the Union is to devolve power and make each part of Britain essentialy independent?

[Graham D'Amiral]

Brown must be fuming reading this mornings front pages, not Gordon makes his bid for PM but Prime minister's wife wrecks Gordon's big day. Not that he'd have enjoyed Newsnight last night either with the pretty devastating response of labour leaning voters to him, and paxman basically saying he was old tired and pretty dull.

[christina speight]

The BBC covered the story in full, including an interview with the Bloomberg journalist so the "bias" suggestion doesn't stand up. Newsnight's weirdo "focus group" was sheer Brown assassination.

OK it was an off-the-cuff exclamation not intended for publoc consumption but it is illustrative of the climate in No:10.

But would it not be betrter for the blog to be dissecting Brown's fiscal record as the S.Telegraph and the Inst:of Fiscal Studies did on Sunday???

[christina speight]

Editor - "I have now attempted to ban Wallenstein. I have warned him on previous occasions about personal attacks and he has repeatedly ignored those warnings"

Wallenstein has been trenchant but rarely offensive. The Cameroons here have repeatedly attacked me on my gender, my name and my age. I have asked that these PERSONAL attacks stop but censorship here seems spasmodic and random.

Another blog has asked - to, I understand, your annoyance - who funds ConservativeHome and and suggests that this blog is "licensed" by the party as a safety valve. You may have responded to this somewhere. Have you? May we see it please?

[christina speight]

Deputy Editor - "It was more of a baseless accusation than a question - not worth responding to publicly."

Well IS the blog funded partly by CCHQ or not? As the Eye says - "We should be told"

[christina speight]

Since on another thread the Deputy Editor has refused to say whether the blog is wholly or partly financed by CCHQ the only prudent thing to do is to assume that it is, and that some of the Cameroons here possibly work for CCHQ

[a-tracy]

Christina, what mischief are you up to? On the homepage not only did Sam reply to your question but the Editor posted this: Christina: What do you not understand about Sam's reply to you? This site does not receive a penny from CCHQ. Posted by: Editor | 26 September 2006 at 15:13.

That's clear enough for me. I thought that we (the Con Home Community) paid for this site through regular donations, well I know I do and I'm not a Conservative Party member, but I don't believe in a free lunch and enjoy this site to catch up on political news.

[Robson S Leeds]

I have now attempted to ban Wallenstein. I have warned him on previous occasions about personal attacks and he has repeatedly ignored those warnings.

Posted by: Editor | September 25, 2006 at 22:39

Lets hope that is successful - I think we've endured enough contrarian trolling on here - and not very subtle stuff at that.

Interesting to see who the witnesses for the defence are....

All media have faithfully reported this and more from Cherie - of course it was a story. The government is totally split by the feuding of these men and their friends.

[Patsy Sergeant]

Well as I have said quite a few times to friends Mdme Blair is very definitely her father's daughter .....