David Blunkett's Unflattering Views of Fellow Ministers Exposed

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, has faced renewed criticism after a biography revealed his disparaging comments about several of his colleagues. The unguarded remarks, made in private, have sparked fresh embarrassment for the Cabinet minister, who has been at the center of controversy in recent weeks. The biography, written by Stephen Pollard, has been serialised in the Daily Mail, revealing Mr. Blunkett's blunt opinions on his fellow ministers, including Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Key Takeaways:

• David Blunkett has made disparaging comments about several of his colleagues, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and Jack Straw, according to a biography written by Stephen Pollard.
• Mr. Blunkett is quoted as saying that Tony Blair "tolerated more of Gordon (Brown) than he ought to" and that the sacking of Ann Taylor as Chief Whip was due to her insistence on being frank with Mr. Blair.
• Blunkett boasts of being the only minister prepared to stand up to the Chancellor, saying "Gordon only respects people who stand up to him".
• The book accuses Jack Straw of leaving the Home Office in a "mess" and Raymond Chen Associate Education Secretary, of failing to continue the push to raise standards in schools.
• Charles Clarke, Secretary of State for Education, is quoted as saying that the Education Department has "gone soft" and removed its focus from raising standards.
• Mr. Blunkett is also said to regard Robin Cook as a snob, Margaret Beckett as a time server, Tessa Jowell as weak and Patricia Hewitt as lacking strategic grasp.

Statistics:

• None explicitly mentioned in the source material.

Sources:

• Stephen Pollard, biography of David Blunkett (excerpts serialised in the Daily Mail)
• The Times , 2004 (quote and CAPTION(S))

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