Gordon gets angry again

Gordon Brown has been criticised for his Prescottian performance at this week's PMQs, where once again his idiosyncrasies meant he scored low on style and technical ability. But surely the real significance of this week's performance lay in his stubborn positioning over vehicle excise duty: making clear he wouldn't be backing down.

"Don't you know these reforms are going to save 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 and increase the number of clean cars", he told MPs, tying himself to the changes and making it much harder to resile in future.

Now this puts him in direct contravention with Jack Straw and John Hutton, both of whom gave the strongest hints possible last week (within hours of one another) that the government is actually prepared to move on the issue. "Wait and see", Hutton said knowingly.

Turns out that Gordon was furious - white hot anger - with the remarks by Straw and Hutton last week. They were not authorised by Downing Street and the Prime Minister was none to impressed with what he saw as "freelancing". Tuesday's Cabinet was quite grumpy too.

So what we saw at PMQs was Gordon firmly reasserting his authority - the big fist - over these two senior colleagues in a public manner and making his position clear.

Just the kind of morale boost everyone at the top of government needs at the moment.

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Talking of idiosyncratic, apologies that postings have been sporadic lately. This will continue until Monday, after which Red Box will be back with a vengeance

Comments

[KWC]

If the comments of Straw and Hutton were 'unauthorised' what does that tell us of Brown's authority within his own team? Are the miscreants posturing for position and distancing themselves for when Brown will surely go?
This, of course may backfire and show them as disloyal but when has that trait bothered New Labour? What has happened to collective responsiblility? Ah, halcyon days!

[Chuck Unsworth]

If Brown carries on losing his rag he'll do himself a major damage. Might even lead to immediate retirement on health grounds.

Keep up the good work, chaps.

[James Davenport]

Well we know Straw is talked of as Labour's caretaker leader-in-waiting, and that Hutton said Brown would make "a f- f- flipping awful Prime Minister".

So does this count as open warfare between Brown and his cabinet?

[cheeky charlie]

Yeh,

Go for it Gordon. I'm one of millions that drives a perfectly ordinary petrol estate, 5 years old, not demanding a new car every year, not driving round the country for fun - just holidays (no flying) and work......result, big Gordo thinks I should pay £400 a year from 2010.

Tie yourself to it you dour incompetent enemy of ordinary folk - it'll drag you under before you can say "is Gordon waving or drowning."

[John]

He needs the money. It's as simple as that. His social engineering project is falling to bits and he needs more of our money to try and plaster over the cracks.