31/12/06 - News section
Brown 'will be a humbler Premier'
By JAMES CHAPMANGordon Brown is pledging a 'humbler and more austere' Government if he
succeeds Tony Blair in an attempt to restore the shattered trust of
voters, it emerged.
The Chancellor will seek to return power to independent civil servants
in an end to Mr Blair's much-criticised 'sofa' administration, which
relies on a tight clique of advisers and spin doctors.
Mr Brown is also said to be planning a 'humbler' style of leadership to
Mr Blair, who has faced fresh criticism of his fondness for the
trappings of celebrity over his New Year holiday at the home of Bee Gee
Robin Gibb.
One senior MP said: 'You will not see the new prime minister holidaying
at the home of a Bee Gee or Sir Cliff Richard.'
Ed Balls, a Treasury minister who used to be Mr Brown's closest adviser,
has said the Chancellor will show no interest in 'the colour of his tie'
or his 'image'.
Mr Brown plans to reintroduce Cabinet government and restore
Parliament's primacy in decision-making, and is also expected to purge
some of Mr Blair's key allies from Downing Street.
Up to seven of Labour's rising stars will be promoted into the Cabinet
after he takes over in around six months' time.
Sources close to the Chancellor insisted there was no prospect of a
complete 'clean sweep', with all of Mr Blair's supporters being shown
the door.
Younger Blairites such as David Miliband, James Purnell and Liam Byrne
are likely to prosper under Mr Brown.
But other die-hard supporters of the Prime Minister, including Culture
Secretary Tessa Jowell, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer and social
exclusion minister Hilary Armstrong, are expected to bow out.
The hot favourite to become Mr Brown's Chancellor is Trade Secretary
Alastair Darling, with Mr Balls tipped to be his number two.
John Reid is likely to retain the Home Office, despite fresh claims that
he is still weighing up a challenge for the leadership when Mr Blair
finally quits.
This week, the Home Secretary will stray far beyond his criminal justice
brief and warn Labour against losing touch with the 'aspirations of
modern working families'.
'Whether we win or lose will depend on our being able to show that in
our approach and direction, New Labour remains New Labour beyond the
departure of Tony Blair,' he will say.
Though his speech will not be delivered until Thursday, extracts were
rushed out by aides at the weekend amid concern that Mr Brown is being
universally seen as the 'inevitable' successor.
Allies of Mr Reid insist that he has still not decided whether to run
himself, though a challenge to Mr Brown currently appears doomed to
failure.
Sources close to Mr Brown said Mr Reid appeared to want to position
himself as the 'Gordon falls under a bus candidate'.
Tory leader David Cameron indicated that he expects to face no-one other
than Mr Brown at the next election as he launched his toughest attack
yet on the Chancellor.
He used his New Year's message to cast the likely next Prime Minister as
the 'dark side' of Labour who will put up taxes again in 2007.
Mr Cameron predicted that Mr Brown would put working families under more
strain this year through his 'idea of state control'.
He added: '2007 will be the year that Labour's dark side comes to the
fore.
'With Blair going and Brown coming, we need to prepare ourselves for an
onslaught of negative campaigning and the politics of fear and division.
'Next year, the real battle for Britain's future begins: Labour's state
control versus Conservative social responsibility.
'We must show that, unlike Labour, we will be a party that is for
working people, not rich and powerful vested interests.'
Responding to criticisms that the Tories lack firm policies, he also
pledged to flesh out his programme this year.
'In 2007, we must move into a new gear - setting out in detail our
clear, positive alternative to a Labour government whose incompetence
and untrustworthiness is beginning to disgust the working people it was
elected to serve,' he said.
Find this story at http://www.dailymai
ews.html?in_
Sean Gabb
Director, The Libertarian Alliance
sean@libertarian.
Tel: 07956 472 199
Skype Username: seangabb
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