Internal Rifts within the Labour Party.

 

Deputy PM take sideswipes at the Minister Without Portfolio (19th August 1997).  [top]
John Prescott took a sideswipe at Peter Mandelson yesterday, comparing him to a crab in a jar, as the two ministers who are "minding the shop" while Tony Blair is on holiday clashed over plans for the Millennium Dome at Greenwich.

Tension between the Deputy Prime Minister and the minister without portfolio grew throughout the day as they disagreed over the Government decision to award the contract for cladding the dome to a German firm.

While Mr Prescott said it was a "sad reflection" on the state of the British construction industry, Mr Mandelson, who is in charge of the Greenwich celebrations, said the millennium project was a "success story" for business in this country.

It later emerged that much of the work on the contract would be done by a British subsidiary in what the Koch group described as a 50 per cent British, 50 per cent European project.

Further signs of acrimony emerged as the Deputy Prime Minister toured the Greenwich site to unveil plans for new flood defences. Posing for photographers with a crab floating in six inches of water in a jar, he amazed onlookers by joking: "You know what his name is? He's called Peter. Do you think you will get on the executive, Peter?" Mr Mandelson is standing for election to Labour's ruling National Executive Committee.

Although Government sources said that the comment was meant as a joke, it was an unusually public one which followed weeks of rivalry between the two. One minister said: "John Prescott obviously badly needs a holiday."

Mr Prescott later issued a statement that he was backing his ministerial colleague. He said: "Just to clear up any misunderstanding, I want to make clear that I wish Mr Mandelson all the best in his attempt to claw his way on to the NEC. I hope that his pincer movement goes well. Under his hard shell he has a soft heart."

Friends of Mr Mandelson said he was "relaxed and amused" by the crab allusion. However, he is unlikely to be delighted at being compared to a creature which scampers sideways and grabs its prey with fierce claws.

 

Tony Blair is not helping the Poor (29th December 1998). [top]
Lord Hattersley has accused Tony Blair's administration of "leaving people in poverty" as no previous Labour government has ever done before.

The ex-deputy leader of the Labour party said it was the first Labour government to come in power, in decent economic circumstances. And he also said it was the first Labour government which has failed to increase the basic rates of benefits or pensions.  

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