Gordon Brown criticised by anti-bullying chief
The row over Gordon Brown’s treatment of his staff has deepened after an anti-bullying charity said several Downing Street employees had called its helpline seeking advice and counselling.
Christine Pratt, founder of the National Bullying Hotline, claimed the charity had received "three or four" calls in recent months from staff in the Prime Minister’s office.
She said she had personally spoken to at least one of the callers, who complained of a "bullying culture" at Downing Street and of the "stress" it caused.
Mrs Pratt added that she was "appalled" by No 10’s "outright denial" of the allegations and insisted they should be investigated as the Government’s attempt to dismiss the claims would only "compound the stress of those who believe they are being bullied".
Her extraordinary intervention came after senior ministers tried to counter damaging allegations about Mr Brown’s behaviour and treatment of his staff in a new book.
The book, by the respected a political commentator Andrew Rawnsley, suggested that the Prime Minister’s volatile temper, his allegedly foul-mouthed abuse of staff and outbreaks of physical violence had left No 10 civil servants and aides suffering a culture of fear and intimidation.
Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, led the Downing Street attempt to rebuff the allegations. He insisted that the Prime Minister was not a bully, and that he was only "inpatient" and "demanding" of his staff.
However, the public relations counter-offensive was derailed by Mrs Pratt, who disclosed that several Downing Street staff had sought confidential help from her charity.
The Conservatives said the disclosure suggested a "Government cover-up" over Mr Brown’s behaviour.
The row comes only days after Mr Brown attempted to make his character an asset in the general election with an emotional ITV interview, in which he discussed his children and his marriage at length.
It also overshadows the launch of Labour’s general election campaign on Saturday, where Mr Brown had asked voters to "take a second look" at him and his party.
In denying the bullying claims yesterday, ministers attempted to make a virtue of the Prime Minister’s personality, but Mrs Pratt undermined that strategy when she claimed she had personally spoken to No 10 staff about bullying in his office.
"Staff in his office, working directly with him, have issues and have concerns and have contacted our helpline," she said. "Some have downloaded information; some have actually called our helpline directly and I have spoken to staff in his office."
She added: "I have personally taken a call from staff in the Prime Minister’s office, staff who believe they are working in a bullying culture and that it has caused them some stress.
"We would have hoped Gordon Brown would lead by example. If an employer receives complaints they should investigate.
"I am not saying Gordon Brown is a bully, I am not a judge. But I am appalled at the outright denial that is going on without due process being followed."
In all, there had been "three or four" calls from No 10 staff to the helpline, she said.
Mrs Pratt later told The Daily Telegraph that by dismissing the reports of bullying, No 10 could be breaching employment law.
"If an employer receives any allegation that there is a culture of bullying or stress, they have a legal obligation to investigate, a duty of care to employees. It appears that due process is not being followed here," she explained.
A Downing Street spokesman was unable to comment last night on a separate report that one member of the Downing Street staff was currently on stress-related sick leave.
Many of yesterday’s revelations about Mr Brown’s behaviour had been rumoured at Westminster for several years, but they were formally published for the first time in a book by Mr Rawnsley, serialised in a Sunday newspaper.
The book alleged that on several occasions, Mr Brown’s anger had led to physical violence against Downing Street staff.
The book also claimed that Mr Brown’s treatment of Downing Street officials was so bad that Sir Gus O’Donnell, the head of the Civil Service, felt moved to investigate the concerns of staff members.
It was reported that having heard from several "frightened" and "bruised" officials, Sir Gus privately raised Mr Brown’s conduct with the Prime Minister, telling him: "This is no way to get things done." Mr Rawnsley said he based his report on the eyewitness accounts of many officials and politicians.
No 10 denied there had been any incidents of violence against staff and described the allegations as "malicious."
However, it did not challenge the wider picture of Mr Brown’s character and temperament.
Ministers said Mr Brown’s occasional outbursts and impatience were merely proof of his driven nature and his determination to do a good job.
Lord Mandelson said of the Prime Minister: "He does not like taking no for an answer from anyone. He will go on and on until he’s got a policy or an idea in the best possible form. Yes there is there is a degree of impatience about the man." But he insisted: "He doesn’t bully people".
In a statement last night, No 10 said: "At no time has the National Bullying Helpline contacted No 10 about these allegations. We have rigorous, well established procedures in place to allow any member of staff address any concerns over inappropriate treatment or behaviour. The Civil Service will continue to have a no tolerance policy on bullying."
Downing Street aides questioned the credibility of Mrs Pratt, suggesting her group was a "Tory front group."
Ann Widdecombe, a Tory backbencher, is a patron of the charity, and its Reading office is in the same business park as a local Conservative association.
However, Mrs Pratt last night denied any connection to the Conservatives. "We are non-political, I am non-political," she said.
The Conservatives seized on the charity’s disclosures. A Tory spokesman said: "This development suggests that there could be a cover-up at the heart of government over the prime minister’s behaviour."
In a statement last night, the Cabinet Office also contradicted the claim’s in Mr Rawnsley’s book about Sir Gus.
A spokesman said: "It is completely untrue that the Cabinet Secretary ever gave the Prime Minister a verbal warning about his behaviour."
The book also recounts efforts by Mr Brown’s aides to undermine Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, and allow the Prime Minister to replace him with Ed Balls, a long-standing ally.
Maggie Darling, the chancellor’s wife, was quoted as saying Mr Brown’s team were trying to "stitch up" Mr Darling. The Chancellor himself was reported to have confronted Mr Brown over media briefings against him.
William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said the allegations "raise questions about the Prime Minister’s judgment and behaviour" and proved Mr Brown was "not cut out" for the job.
Mr Hague said: "I don’t think he has ever shown that he can lead a happy team and a successful team. That is one of the reasons he has struggled."
He added: "The people who work in Number 10 or at the top of other government departments work round the clock, they are very hard working and dedicated and not very highly paid considering their hours and their responsibilities,"
"They are entitled to expect the highest standards of behaviour and courtesy and politeness from the ministers and the prime minister they serve."
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/feb/21/gordon-brown-fresh-bullying-allegations
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