British Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell came under pressure on Sunday to launch a formal investigation into British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s treatment of his staff after an anti-bullying help line revealed it has received several complaints from people working at No. 10 Downing Street.
It follows publication by the Observer newspaper journalist Andrew Rawnsley of hotly disputed allegations about Brown mistreating staff, including assertions that he swore at staff, grabbed them by lapels and shouted at them.
Rawnsley also claimed O’Donnell had warned Brown to change his behavior.
The opposition Conservatives responded to the allegations by suggesting “there may have been a cover up at the heart of government over the prime minister’s behavior.”
The National Anti-bullying Helpline charity went public after the business secretary, Lord Mandelson, flatly denied Rawnsley’s claims, insisting that Brown was simply “demanding,” “emotional” and had “a degree of impatience.”
Christine Pratt, the help line’s director, said: “We are not suggesting he is a bully. What we are saying is there are people in his office working directly with him that have issues and concerns and have contacted our help line. We believe the present statement put out by Lord Mandelson is a nonsense and non-credible.”
She said four staff had contacted the help line, the last one only a few months ago.
“I have personally taken a call from staff in the prime minister’s office, staff who believe they are working in a bullying culture and that it has caused them some stress,” she said.
The claim of routine bullying was backed yesterday by a former senior adviser to Brown at No. 10, who said: “His intense bouts of anger are unremarkable to anyone who has worked closely with him. You just have to put up with this stuff. It is part of the daily experience, almost part of the furniture. He would behave in that way constantly. He suffers from a massive paranoia and an inability to accept blame, yet he runs a blame culture that allows him to blame others. He does not seek to win an argument, he just seeks to bully. If you have not worked closely with him before, it is truly shocking. The more he trusts you, the more he vents.”
The source was sure O’Donnell had been told of staff unhappiness at Brown’s behavior and had raised the issue with the prime minister.
O’Donnell is likely to be grilled about what he knows and did by the House of Commons justice select committee on tomorrow. No. 10 Downing Street had been confident the brooding side of Brown’s complex character would not become an election issue, but it will be disturbed by the help line’s intervention.
The Swindon-based help line was set up in 1997 and insisted yesterday it was not political nor seeking publicity. Conservative Member of Parliament Ann Widdecombe is its patron and it quotes support from Tory leader David Cameron on its Web site.
“Outright denial is just non-credible in today’s age. Over recent months we have had several inquiries from staff within Gordon Brown’s office. Some have downloaded information; some have actually called our help line directly and I have spoken to staff in his office,” Pratt said.
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