Blair drank to cope with Brown stress

TONY Blair took to the bottle as his relationship with Gordon Brown worsened, his memoirs revealed today.

The former Prime Minister said he was put under "relentless personal pressure" by the "maddening" then Chancellor, but could not sack him because he feared that would lead to him being ousted earlier.

He said he began drinking every day - whisky and gin and tonics before dinner, then several glasses of wine - and needed the "support" alcohol provided.

Mr Blair also blamed his successor at Number Ten for Labour losing the General Election earlier this year.

He said the party had won the previous three elections as New Labour. "It lost by ceasing to be that."

And he warned against a shift to the left. "If we take this path, the next defeat will be even more stinging," he said.