London -
Ed Balls helped to run a “shadow” Treasury within the last government on behalf of a “brutal and volcanic” Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling is to claim.
In explosive memoirs to be published next week, the former chancellor will say there was a breakdown in trust between him and the then prime minister.
According to leaked excerpts from Back From The Brink: 1 000 Days At No 11, Balls and then business minister Lady Vadera ran a parallel Treasury operation to undermine Darling. The book claims Brown tried to parachute his allies into Mr Darling’s team to spy on him.
And it says Brown’s moods became “brutal and volcanic” in 2008. According to the Labour Uncut website, Darling also confirms that in 2009 Brown tried to sack him as chancellor and offer him a junior cabinet role - apparently because he wanted to install Balls in Number 11. Darling threatened to quit the government, and Brown relented.
Tory chairman Baroness Warsi on Wednesday said the revelations were proof key Labour figures had put party infighting above the nation’s interests. “This should give Ed Miliband concerns about Ed Balls’ suitability to be shadow chancellor,” she added. - Daily Mail