Brown 'reduced top aide to tears' over poll fiasco
by SIMON WALTERS
'Badly scarred': Spencer Livermore is said to have been 'devoted' to the PM
Brown (AtW's comment: they are all devoted while you are winning
)
<> One of Gordon Brown's most senior aides was reduced to tears after the Prime Minister exploded in rage, blaming him for the on-off autumn Election fiasco, it was claimed.
Sources close to Spencer Livermore, Downing Street Director of Political Strategy, say he was 'badly scarred' by the experience, which brought him to the brink of resignation.
According to one insider, an emotional Mr Livermore had to be comforted by friends after describing how his ordeal had brought him to "an all-time low" in his career.
The latest evidence of disarray in Labour's high command came with Mr Brown facing growing pressure from all sides of his party as:
• Friends of former party general secretary Peter Watt, who quit over the 'Donorgate' scandal, said he was privately critical of Mr Brown's "lack of leadership".
• Left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell said his party was "in a mess" and faced defeat by David Cameron as a result of the Prime Minister's "ineptitude".
• And insiders revealed party chiefs planned to offer Labour MP Ken Purchase a peerage so his Commons seat could be given to transport union boss Jack Dromey, husband of deputy party leader Harriet Harman.
The embattled Prime Minister is now pinning his hopes on a fightback in the New Year, after seeing an opinion poll lead of 11 points turn into a deficit of 11 points.
His woes date back to the lastminute decision to call off plans for a November Election.
Mr Livermore, named this year by Pink News as the most powerful gay man in Britain, was among those urging Mr Brown to go to the polls. Only days before the Prime Minister called it off, Mr Livermore boasted that David Cameron was about to be toppled as Tory leader and the Tories were "finished".
And the aide was among the tiny handful of No10 advisers in the room when Mr Brown aborted the November Election proposal.
"There were a lot of frayed tempers and Spencer was on the receiving end of some of the worst of it," said a source.
"He is devoted to Gordon and it will take him time to get over it."
Mr Livermore, 32, joined the Labour Party in 1997 after studying at the London School of Economics and is renowned for his tough campaigning skills. He ran a Labour unit charged with "destroying" William Hague in the 2001 Election and worked with Mr Brown at the Treasury.
Last night, an aide to Mr Brown said it was "complete nonsense" to suggest Mr Livermore had been reduced to tears.
"Gordon Brown has always made clear that he takes full responsibility for the Election decision," the aide said.
Sources close to ex-Labour general secretary Mr Watt said he was "livid" at being made the scapegoat for the row over the £600,000 in secret donations to Party coffers by businessman David Abrahams.
Friends say he was horrified by the 'shocking state' of Labour's books when he became general secretary in 2005.
"Peter is being made a scapegoat for Gordon Brown's lack of leadership," said one.
And Labour MP John McDonnell risked being disciplined by Labour whips after an outspoken attack on Mr Brown.
"We're in a mess," he told GMTV.
"People are demoralised. Labour Party members can't understand how we've got in this mess.
"Gordon has shown ineptitude on a number of issues and so have some of the people around him."
Labour officials told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Brown planned moves to strengthen Labour's links with the unions.
According to a senior aide, if the November Election had gone ahead, the party had decided to offer a peerage to Wolverhampton MP Mr Purchase, a member of the transport union. (AtW's comment: why would a representative of the working class agree to become nobility? Hmmm...)
Under the plan, if he had accepted, his Commons seat would have been offered to union leader Mr Dromey. Under Labour's rules, if an MP steps down in the run-up to an Election, party chiefs can use special powers to ensure favoured candidates are picked.
A similar offer is said to have been made to major unions, including the GMB, Unite and the CWU whereby up to ten union officials would have been given seats.
by SIMON WALTERS
'Badly scarred': Spencer Livermore is said to have been 'devoted' to the PM
Brown (AtW's comment: they are all devoted while you are winning
)<> One of Gordon Brown's most senior aides was reduced to tears after the Prime Minister exploded in rage, blaming him for the on-off autumn Election fiasco, it was claimed.
Sources close to Spencer Livermore, Downing Street Director of Political Strategy, say he was 'badly scarred' by the experience, which brought him to the brink of resignation.
According to one insider, an emotional Mr Livermore had to be comforted by friends after describing how his ordeal had brought him to "an all-time low" in his career.
The latest evidence of disarray in Labour's high command came with Mr Brown facing growing pressure from all sides of his party as:
• Friends of former party general secretary Peter Watt, who quit over the 'Donorgate' scandal, said he was privately critical of Mr Brown's "lack of leadership".
• Left-wing Labour MP John McDonnell said his party was "in a mess" and faced defeat by David Cameron as a result of the Prime Minister's "ineptitude".
• And insiders revealed party chiefs planned to offer Labour MP Ken Purchase a peerage so his Commons seat could be given to transport union boss Jack Dromey, husband of deputy party leader Harriet Harman.
The embattled Prime Minister is now pinning his hopes on a fightback in the New Year, after seeing an opinion poll lead of 11 points turn into a deficit of 11 points.
His woes date back to the lastminute decision to call off plans for a November Election.
Mr Livermore, named this year by Pink News as the most powerful gay man in Britain, was among those urging Mr Brown to go to the polls. Only days before the Prime Minister called it off, Mr Livermore boasted that David Cameron was about to be toppled as Tory leader and the Tories were "finished".
And the aide was among the tiny handful of No10 advisers in the room when Mr Brown aborted the November Election proposal.
"There were a lot of frayed tempers and Spencer was on the receiving end of some of the worst of it," said a source.
"He is devoted to Gordon and it will take him time to get over it."
Mr Livermore, 32, joined the Labour Party in 1997 after studying at the London School of Economics and is renowned for his tough campaigning skills. He ran a Labour unit charged with "destroying" William Hague in the 2001 Election and worked with Mr Brown at the Treasury.
Last night, an aide to Mr Brown said it was "complete nonsense" to suggest Mr Livermore had been reduced to tears.
"Gordon Brown has always made clear that he takes full responsibility for the Election decision," the aide said.
Sources close to ex-Labour general secretary Mr Watt said he was "livid" at being made the scapegoat for the row over the £600,000 in secret donations to Party coffers by businessman David Abrahams.
Friends say he was horrified by the 'shocking state' of Labour's books when he became general secretary in 2005.
"Peter is being made a scapegoat for Gordon Brown's lack of leadership," said one.
And Labour MP John McDonnell risked being disciplined by Labour whips after an outspoken attack on Mr Brown.
"We're in a mess," he told GMTV.
"People are demoralised. Labour Party members can't understand how we've got in this mess.
"Gordon has shown ineptitude on a number of issues and so have some of the people around him."
Labour officials told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Brown planned moves to strengthen Labour's links with the unions.
According to a senior aide, if the November Election had gone ahead, the party had decided to offer a peerage to Wolverhampton MP Mr Purchase, a member of the transport union. (AtW's comment: why would a representative of the working class agree to become nobility? Hmmm...)
Under the plan, if he had accepted, his Commons seat would have been offered to union leader Mr Dromey. Under Labour's rules, if an MP steps down in the run-up to an Election, party chiefs can use special powers to ensure favoured candidates are picked.
A similar offer is said to have been made to major unions, including the GMB, Unite and the CWU whereby up to ten union officials would have been given seats.
Sad but true with the vast majority of them.
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