Prescott blames spin for Labour troubles
John Prescott says spin culture is responsible for poor relations between political parties and the media.
The former deputy prime minister’s comments come after weeks of negative coverage of Gordon Brown’s performance, prompting criticism from backbenchers fearful for their seats at the next election.
Mr Prescott told the Telegraph Peter Mandelson, the current EU trade commissioner, had done a good job in the 1990s of ending Labour’s reputation for infighting.
But he suggested the ‘spin’ culture – which reached its peak in the first years of the current Labour government and for which Mr Mandelson was partly responsible – may have had a negative impact which is still damaging the party.
“When we first came in, in the 1990s, everyone accused Labour if there was one word different between one shadow cabinet member and another,” he said.
“It became a crisis, it became a division, and the press then loved to play up all this stuff about division. Peter Mandelson, to his credit, and the party generally said, ‘Look, we’re going to get a grip of this’ and then they started giving answers that were generally consistent and right but sounded the same.
“I think that spin, and the reaction and the way the press dealt with it, has led to a kind of situation where there’s a certain amount of contempt between the politicians and the press,” he finished.
Mr Prescott made clear his support for Mr Brown as the person to lead Britain through the current economic slowdown. The prime minister’s record as chancellor should not be undermined because of concerns about opinion polls, he argued.
“He’s got the experience internationally and is recognised as having done it for ten to 15 years in the domestic economy. That’s the guy you’ve got to back,” he added.
