Tony Blair - John Smith: Drank more than was wise

Published on Wednesday 1 September 2010 18:30

Late Labour leader John Smith was described as a "stupendous toper" by Tony Blair, who believed his love of socialising led to him drinking "more than was wise" after he suffered a heart attack.

Mr Blair said his predecessor as Labour leader never let alcohol interfere with big political occasions and was never drunk when he should have been sober. But his capacity for alcohol meant Mr Smith "could drink in a way that I have never seen before or since".

The only time Mr Blair saw Mr Smith seriously challenged in a drinking bout was when he led a delegation to China in the mid 1980s and a round of toasts saw him compete against a Chinese official.

Drinking beer, whisky and mao-tai, the "Chinese guy" held his own in "great style". The former PM said: "It was the closest I ever got to seeing John being outclassed, but I gave it to John on points in the end." At the end, Mr Smith led the company in an "unintelligible" chorus of Auld Lang Syne.

Mr Blair went on: "Unfortunately, John could take a lot of it. I say unfortunately because it meant there was no cut-off, no circuit breaker, no warning sign and insufficient punishment the day after."

After his heart attack, Mr Smith lost weight and indulged his love of climbing, conquering more than 100 Munros. "But as the stresses of taking the leadership told on him and as time progressed into 1993 and 1994, I noticed he was again starting to drink more than was wise.

"He felt like the old John, so he felt he could act like the old John … despite the constant admonitions of Elizabeth, his wife and his love, he found it hard to do without the relaxation and fellowship with which it was associated."