Keynes’s rottweiler has come out fighting. In response to today’s Telegraph splash, Ed Balls has rejected claims that the documents unearthed by the paper prove that he was “plotting” to oust Tony Blair.
He said:
The idea that these documents show there was a plot or an attempt to remove Tony Blair is just not true. It’s not justified either by the documents themselves or by what was actually happening at the time. The fact is, after 2004, and then on, there was a discussion between Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and others, including myself, about how we managed that stable and orderly transition … There is nothing here to justify the claim of a plot and, therefore, for me, that’s obviously a bit frustrating today.
But there’s a wider point here, I think Labour Party members and people in the country will look at this and say: why was it the case that there were these formal talks, why were there these discussions? The reality was Gordon Brown and Tony Blair had achieved great things together but by this period it was hard, the relationship was under stress, there was a lot of pressure, there were difficulties, there were arguments. I think people will look back and say that it could have been done better. I agree with that and there’s a lesson here for us a party because we’ve got to make sure that at a time when jobs are under pressure, when the coalition is making mistakes, we as a Labour Party are united. That’s what I’m determined to show.
Ed Miliband has also responded. The Labour leader tweeted: “Did round of i’views in my constituency. On Telegraph story, I told them- Blair/Brown era is over. Labour & country looking to future.”
So far, the absence of a killer revelation means that the story has failed to excite the public. One wonders if, as in the case of expenses scandal, the Telegraph is saving the best till last.
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