Prescott is wrong: Brown behaved badly to Blair

Before I forget, I wanted to pick up a point made by John Prescott in The Sunday Times this weekend.

Prescott acted as intermediary between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair and doubtless found it very wearing. I quite understand why at times he wished Blair would simply give in and deliver on his hints that he would stand down. It would have made his life simpler.

Nevertheless Prescott is quite wrong to say that Blair was more at fault than Brown.

As Oliver Kamm argues cogently, Brown's insistence that Blair should stand down was quite outrageous. And his behaviour in insisting that Blair make way for him was entirely unacceptable.

In 1994, if Brown had stood for the leadership against Blair he would have lost. At that time, as now, Blair was an infinitely preferable choice. So Brown had nothing to offer Blair and if there was a deal, there shouldn't have been one.

I strongly suspect that whatever promises Blair made to Brown he made them to propitiate his ally and prevent more outbreaks of shouting and babyish tantrums. If Brown had not been more fortunate in his choice of partner he would have been sacked. But Blair chose the more gentle course of stringing him along.

The rest of us have cause to be irritated with Mr Blair for being so tolerant.

Mr Brown, certainly, does not.