I cannot believe that this has not been picked up from Chris Mullin’s diaries, A View from the Foothills. (Yes, I am a slow reader.) But I have googled it and lexis nexised it, and it hasn’t been.
On Thursday 26 April 2001 Mullin, the junior International Development minister, is talking to Clare Short, his Secretary of State, about David Blunkett’s ambition. They think Blunkett has been telling journalists that he expects to become Home Secretary after the election, expected in June.
Mullin remarks that Blunkett
is clearly building himself to challenge Gordon when the time comes. Clare says that Blunkett is too illiberal to be Home Secretary. She also said that Gordon Brown had remarked to her, after the Cabinet, that Peter Mandelson may be behind the pro-Blunkett briefings. There is no evidence for this, but it does give a clue as to how Gordon’s mind is working.“Gordon’s a megalomaniac,” said Clare.
“Wholly unsuited to be leader,” I chipped in.
To my surprise (I had always assumed that Clare was in his camp)* she readily agreed. “We’d be in deep trouble if Gordon’s court took over Downing Street.”
*So had I.
Independent Minds 