How the Brownites operate

Rachel Sylvester’s column in The Times tomorrow is a damning indictment of the way that Brown central does politics. This section gives you a flavour of the piece: 

“Rumours have been spread that James Purnell is gay – something that is totally untrue. Alistair Darling has been reshuffled countless times by unnamed advisers. When the going gets tough, the Brownites even turn on each other. Douglas Alexander was hung out to dry over the election that never was. Stephen Carter, brought in to shake up No 10, was quickly seen off by Mr McBride, who briefed journalists that he was politically naive.

The Prime Minister is never personally involved in the dirty tricks, of course – as with all covert operations, there is plausible deniability. But Mr Brown cannot claim to be blameless when he continues to surround himself by attack dogs who bite on his behalf.