British PM Gordon Brown Denies Bullying Staff
British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, accused of bullying members of his staff
LONDON, Feb. 22, 2010 -- Britain's beleaguered prime minister, Gordon Brown, is once again embroiled in a political battle and this time, it's getting personal.
Today the prime minister faced accusations that he bullied members of his staff, both verbally and physically during his tenure in Downing Street. This charge, while vehemently denied, has been leapt upon by both his political rivals and will no doubt weaken his already vulnerable position in Britain's upcoming elections.
The allegations emerged this weekend in extracts of a book by British political journalist Andrew Rawnsley, which were published in a Sunday newspaper. Rawnsley claims that Mr Brown, well known for his irascibility, pulled a secretary from her chair, grabbed staff by their lapels, and went on four-letter-word rants that left colleagues cowering in fright.
According to Rawnsely, Brown's fits of rage were so bad that it caused Sir Gus O'Donnell, a senior government official, to consider an investigation into the prime minister's behavior. This was denied by O'Donnell in a statement. "It is categorically not the case that the cabinet secretary asked for an investigation of the prime minister's treatment of Number 10 staff."
Brown's allies also immediately came to his aid. Lord Peter Mandelson, business secretary and Labour Party stalwart, told a BBC talk show, "I don't think he so much bullies people as he is very demanding of people."
"He is demanding of himself, he is demanding of people around him, he knows what he wants to do, he does not like taking no for an answer from anyone, he will go on and on until he has got a policy and an idea in the best possible form which he can then roll out."
But these comments made by Mandelson to the BBC's Andrew Marr angered one viewer in particular: anti-bullying campaigner Christine Pratt. Chief executive of the National Bullying Helpline, Pratt told the BBC, "Over recent months we have had several inquiries from staff within Gordon Brown's office. Some have downloaded information; some have actually called our helpline directly and I have spoken to staff in his office."
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