Brown left ‘sad’ by bullying row
By politics.co.uk staff
The bullying row which raged yesterday left the prime minister saddened, Ed Balls has said.
The comments come on the same day as immigration minister Phil Woolas found himself in trouble for branding the head of the Natinal Bullying Helpline a “prat”.
The controversy derailed Labour’s campaign agenda yesterday and resulted in the departure of every patron for the National Bullying Helpline.
It also prompted angry accusations of political interference from business secretary Peter Mandelson and former deputy prime minister John Prescott.
Asked if the affair damaged Mr Brown after a relatively successful weekend unveiling a now campaign slogan, the children’s secretary told the Today programme: “I don’t think it damages him, it hurts him personally.”
He went on: “At no point has it ever occurred to me that Gordon Brown is, or would ever be, a bully.
“It is something which personally he feels very upset about because he knows there is no truth to these allegations.”
But later in the day, Mr Woolas’ appearence on LBC 97.3 went less well, when he trued a play with words using the name of Christine Pratt, head of the National Bullying Helpline.
“It’s a tough business, politics. It’s 18, 20 hours a day that people like the prime minister work,” he said.
“I think this attack on him by this prat of a woman down in – where’s she from, Swindon? – I think that’s backfiring on her.
“Most people think that Gordon Brown, even if they don’t agree with his politics, they think that he’s a decent man and I can tell you in my experience, he’s a very decent man.”
Cabinet secretary Sir Gus O’ Donnell finally confirmed he had never spoken to Mr Brown personally about his behaviour towards junior staff – a key allegations from Observer journalist Andrew Rawnsley.
Mr Rawnsley, a well-respected figure in Westminster, stands by his sources.
But the bullying charity which emerged to claim several people from Mr Brown’s office had phoned to discuss bullying found itself severely damaged by the affair yesterday, with all four of its patrons having quit in protest.
