Outbursts are a devalued currency

Published on Friday 27 February 2004 00:00

CLARE Short has been a thorn in Tony Blair’s side both in and out of the Cabinet.

When the Prime Minister brought her into government he recognised her as a rough diamond - but someone who helped him stay connected to Labour’s grassroots.

For that reason, he allowed her more leeway than other MPs. And Ms Short used Mr Blair’s latitude to give him a verbal tongue lashing on a number of occasions.

She branded him as "reckless" on the eve of the war in Iraq.

However, she stayed put in government leaving Mr Blair to contemplate when, not if, she would quit and what she would say when she went.

Ms Short did not disappoint in her resignation speech.

She accused Mr Blair of ruling by "diktat" and being more concerned about his place in history than running the government for the good of the United Kingdom.

However, the outbursts that Ms Short considers have made her the conscience of the Old Left have become a devalued currency.

Even before she became international development secretary in 1997 she had angered Mr Blair on numerous occasions by blunt comments that bordered on disloyalty.

One classic came before the 1997 election when she undermined Mr Blair and Gordon Brown's huge efforts to reassure the middle classes on tax by saying that "people like me" could afford to pay a little more.

When inside the government, the gaffes flowed. After becoming international development secretary following the election victory, she caused a diplomatic row by saying the leaders of the Caribbean island of Montserrat would be demanding "golden elephants next" as they repaired damage after a volcano disaster.