Confusion reigns over who is running the country
The Labour party’s disarray over its future seems to have infected the machinery of government, with contradictory messages emanating from Number 10 about who is running the country while Gordon Brown is on holiday.
Deputy party leader Harriet Harman has been given caretaker duties, saying it is a “great privilege” to be put in charge of government. But that appears to have been contradicted by Mr Brown’s spokesman.
The prime minister is ostensibly on holiday in Suffolk despite being accompanied by Downing Street staff and having a temporary office – complete with a large-screen television – installed in the Southwold home.
His spokesman insisted he remained in charge yesterday, presumably to give the impression Mr Brown is on top of the current political situation in Westminster.
“The prime minister remains in charge wherever he is on holiday,” the spokesman said.
“In the normal way, there are senior ministers in London to deal with the business of government.
“Harriet Harman is one of those senior ministers who are available. She is available to deal with the day-to-day business of government. The prime minister remains in charge.”
One could be forgiven for assuming otherwise. Ms Harman held a series of meetings in Number 10 on Friday, hosted various friends and colleagues in the Cabinet room, invited her family to Downing Street, instructed Number 10’s press office to brief her on the following day’s headlines and arranged a daily conference call with her officials and aides – again in Number 10.
She is seen as one of the less-likely contenders for Mr Brown’s job should he be forced from his position. A fiercely intelligent advocate of equal rights, Ms Harman is still seen in many quarters as an overly-polarising figure who would fail to win support in middle England.
