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Pressure mounts over Brown bullying claims

By Channel 4 News

Updated on 22 February 2010

As pressure mounts for an investigation into allegations of bullying of staff at Number 10, questions are raised about claims by an anti-bullying charity that it had received several calls from within Downing Street.

Gordon Brown (Reuters)

The bullying allegations are contained in At The End Of The Party, an account of Gordon Brown’s tenure as prime minister by political journalist Andrew Rawnsley. Extracts from the book were published in yesterday’s Observer newspaper.

The book includes accounts of Mr Brown pulling a secretary from her chair, "roughly shoving" an aide, and expletive-laden rants against members of staff.

The claims appeared to be corroborated when Christine Pratt, founder of the anti-bullying charity the National Bullying Helpline, went public with the information that it had received several calls from within Downing Street.

Ms Pratt said "three or four" calls had been received, including one in recent months.

And she stressed the importance of an employer looking into any bullying charges made by staff. "We would have hoped Gordon Brown would lead by example. If an employer receives complaints they should investigate."

Ms Pratt appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning and admitted that she had been in contact with the Conservative party over the bullying claims - although she asserted that it was "irrelevant" in the context o fher speaking out.

She said: "Yes, I have been in touch with them (the Conservatives). They have been in contact with us. But we are not a political charity. I'm not politically motivated."


Labour MP Anne Snelgrove, who as well as being Gordon Brown's parliamentary aide helped launched the National Bullying Helpline, has questioned why the charity had "popped up out of the blue when all of this is happening around Gordon".

Rawnsley alleges in his book that Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell was so concerned about the prime minister's behaviour that he delivered a "verbal warning" to him - a claim the Cabinet Office said was "completely untrue".

Mr Brown told Channel 4 News on Saturday: "I have never hit anybody in my life", adding that he had never shoved anyone either.

Yesterday the prime minister’s supporters, including Lord Mandelson, defended him against the accusations. The business secretary told BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: "I don’t think he so much bullies people as he is very demanding of people."

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