From The Sunday Times
November 22, 2009
The business secretary is secretly pressing Brown to hold a cabinet reshuffle so he can achieve his life-long ambition of running the Foreign Office. Mandelson made the request after he was snubbed for the post of European Union foreign minister at last week’s Brussels summit.
Mandelson’s reshuffle call puts the prime minister in a perilous position as he struggles to retain the support of the most powerful figures in the cabinet.
If he bows to Mandelson’s wishes, he risks alienating David Miliband, the foreign secretary, and his ally Ed Balls, the schools secretary, who is still eager for promotion. If he refuses Mandelson’s demand, he risks losing his loyalty with potentially devastating consequences for the election.
A well placed No 10 insider said: “This is highly delicate. He’s facing opposing demands from the most powerful people in the cabinet. He can’t square the circle." Mandelson is known to harbour ambitions to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Herbert Morrison, who was briefly foreign secretary in the 1940s.
The Sunday Times understands that the business secretary was promised the job if Miliband became the EU’s high representative. When Miliband again turned down the role last week, Mandelson launched an 11th-hour bid to secure the Brussels job for himself.
According to insiders, the business secretary was still canvassing for the EU role as late as last Thursday. However, in a tense telephone conversation with Brown as Mandelson travelled by train to Birmingham, the prime minister told the business secretary that he wanted him to remain in Britain.
In a development known to just a handful of cabinet ministers, Mandelson is now pressing Brown to move him to the Foreign Office, pushing Miliband aside.
“Gordon promised Mandelson he would get the foreign secretary job if Miliband went to Brussels,” said the high level source. “That fell through. Now Mandelson is pressing Gordon very hard to make him foreign secretary anyway. He thinks it is his last chance to achieve a life-time ambition.”
Mandelson is said to believe that Brown can risk moving ministers because it is too late for a coup against him. Brown is willing in principle, but he would have to find a suitably senior role for Miliband. One option could be a direct job swap, effectively making Miliband deputy prime minister.
However, such a limited reshuffle risks bitterly disappointing Balls, Brown’s most loyal lieutenant, who still has his sights on becoming chancellor. The No 10 source said: “Gordon told Ed that if David went to Brussels and a re-shuffle followed, he would try to make him chancellor. Ed is still hoping for the job.”
Neither Miliband nor Alistair Darling, the chancellor, is thought to know of the discussions. Publicly, Mandelson has insisted that his only aims are to help Labour win a fourth term. His campaign for a foreign affairs role suggests he may now be pursuing a separate agenda, having lost faith in Brown.
A spokesman for Mandelson said: “Peter is happy where he is.” No 10 also denied the claims.
Mandelson’s reshuffle call puts the prime minister in a perilous position as he struggles to retain the support of the most powerful figures in the cabinet.
If he bows to Mandelson’s wishes, he risks alienating David Miliband, the foreign secretary, and his ally Ed Balls, the schools secretary, who is still eager for promotion. If he refuses Mandelson’s demand, he risks losing his loyalty with potentially devastating consequences for the election.
A well placed No 10 insider said: “This is highly delicate. He’s facing opposing demands from the most powerful people in the cabinet. He can’t square the circle." Mandelson is known to harbour ambitions to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Herbert Morrison, who was briefly foreign secretary in the 1940s.
The Sunday Times understands that the business secretary was promised the job if Miliband became the EU’s high representative. When Miliband again turned down the role last week, Mandelson launched an 11th-hour bid to secure the Brussels job for himself.
According to insiders, the business secretary was still canvassing for the EU role as late as last Thursday. However, in a tense telephone conversation with Brown as Mandelson travelled by train to Birmingham, the prime minister told the business secretary that he wanted him to remain in Britain.
In a development known to just a handful of cabinet ministers, Mandelson is now pressing Brown to move him to the Foreign Office, pushing Miliband aside.
“Gordon promised Mandelson he would get the foreign secretary job if Miliband went to Brussels,” said the high level source. “That fell through. Now Mandelson is pressing Gordon very hard to make him foreign secretary anyway. He thinks it is his last chance to achieve a life-time ambition.”
Mandelson is said to believe that Brown can risk moving ministers because it is too late for a coup against him. Brown is willing in principle, but he would have to find a suitably senior role for Miliband. One option could be a direct job swap, effectively making Miliband deputy prime minister.
However, such a limited reshuffle risks bitterly disappointing Balls, Brown’s most loyal lieutenant, who still has his sights on becoming chancellor. The No 10 source said: “Gordon told Ed that if David went to Brussels and a re-shuffle followed, he would try to make him chancellor. Ed is still hoping for the job.”
Neither Miliband nor Alistair Darling, the chancellor, is thought to know of the discussions. Publicly, Mandelson has insisted that his only aims are to help Labour win a fourth term. His campaign for a foreign affairs role suggests he may now be pursuing a separate agenda, having lost faith in Brown.
A spokesman for Mandelson said: “Peter is happy where he is.” No 10 also denied the claims.
