Tony Blair: Gordon Brown has 'zero' emotional intelligence

Tony Blair repeatedly assured Gordon Brown that he would not contest the Labour leadership, then resolved within minutes of hearing of John Smith's death to stand, telling Peter Mandelson "it's mine", the former prime minister admits for the first time in his autobiography.

Blair reveals that even before Smith's death he was "straining at the leash", straying out of his policy brief and becoming more convinced that "something was missing" in Brown's ability to lead. He admits that he toyed with the idea of leadership before Smith's death in 1994, but told Brown he had his backing in order to avoid a battle. Read the rest at The Guardian

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Blair is 'desperately sorry' for Iraq war deaths

Former British prime minister Tony Blair said he was "desperately sorry" over the deaths in the Iraq war, in extracts released Tuesday from his memoirs. Blair said he was "sorry for the lives cut short", but maintained it was right to remove dictator Saddam Hussein from power, in extracts from "A Journey", his account of his decade in office. He said the aftermath of the 2003 invasion was "terrible" and said he wept over the loss of life.

Blair said he still felt a sense of "anguish" for the relatives of those killed in the conflict. Read the full article from AFP.

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George Bush and Tony Blair secretly 'plotted' to stop Gordon Brown becoming PM

According to the Telegraph, Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, tried to prolong his time as Prime Minister because there were concerns coming from across the Atlantic that Gordon Brown was very difficult to deal with.

The White House warnings, the Sunday Telegraph published this morning, played a key role in Mr Blair’s attempt to cling on to power until at least 2008, and to groom David Miliband as his successor.


Senior officials within the Bush administration sounded warnings after Brown met with then secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. Brown is said to have 'harangued' her over policy issues such as aid, development and Africa. 

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