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Prescott: I told Blair to sack Brown

11/05/2008

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has revealed how he once urged Tony Blair to fire Gordon Brown from his role as chancellor of the exchequer.

Mr Prescott, whose memoirs are being serialised from today in the Sunday Times, said not only did the prime minister shy away from sacking Mr Brown but he was "scared" of the man who is now the UK's leader.

However, Mr Prescott, who was deputy prime minister for ten years, also said his advice to Mr Brown to resign and go head-to-head with Mr Blair was ignored.

Although many have speculated about the nature of Mr Brown and Blair's relationship, the memoirs claim that conflicts between them often required reconciliatory meetings "brokered" by Mr Prescott.

The ex-deputy said Mr Brown would be "frustrating, annoying, bewildering and prickly" during discussions, but on other occasions would "go off like a bloody volcano".

And Cherie Blair believed that "the longer [Gordon] suffered the better".

The memoirs continue: "With Tony, when he was moaning on about Gordon’s behaviour, I’d say, 'Sack him. Find a new chancellor, if that’s how you really feel'. But neither could take the final step. They were caught in their own trap. Tony knew that sacking Gordon would tear the party apart."

Mr Prescott is still the MP for Hull East but was succeeded by Harriet Harman as deputy prime minister.