Claims that Downing Street staff rang helpline as Mandelson says PM demanding and impatient

The head of an anti-bullying charity hit out at Gordon Brown last night and revealed several Downing Street staff called its helpline.

Christine Pratt said she had “seen red” after Ministers rallied round to deny claims in a new book that the Prime Minister had been warned over his treatment of staff.

Lord Mandelson said the Prime Minister was emotional, demanding and impatient but not a bully after a new book detailed a string of alleged outbursts.

But Mrs Pratt, who founded the National Bullying Helpline after being a workplace victim herself, accused them of failing staff by “going into denial”.

“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.

“We would have hoped Gordon Brown would lead by example. If an employer receives complaints they should investigate,” she said.

“I am not saying Gordon Brown is a bully, I am not a judge. But I am appalled at the outright denial that is going on without due process being followed.”

Mrs Pratt said there had been “three or four” contacts with the helpline from Downing Street staff in recent years – although others were received before Mr Brown took charge.

The book, by Observer political commentator Andrew Rawnsley, details a string of alleged incidents of verbal and physical outbursts by Mr Brown.

Extracts published by the newspaper yesterday featured accounts of Mr Brown pulling a secretary from her chair, “roughly shoving” an aide and four-letter word-filled rants that frightened staff.

Mr Rawnsley said Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell was so concerned he delivered a “verbal warning” to the Prime Minister – a claim denied by the Cabinet Office.

However, last night a No 10 spokeswoman said: “It is completely untrue to say that the Cabinet Secretary ever gave the PM a verbal warning about his behaviour.”

But Mr Rawnsley said he was “100 per cent sure”, based on first-hand evidence, that Sir Gus had looked into Mr Brown’s behaviour and personally warned him to calm down.

Downing Street denied the “malicious” allegations and Lord Mandelson said the Prime Minister was emotional, demanding and impatient – but not a bully.

“I don’t think he so much bullies people as he is very demanding of people,” Lord Mandelson said.

“He is demanding of himself, he is demanding of people around him, he knows what he wants to do, he does not like taking no for an answer from anyone, he will go on and on until he has got a policy and an idea in the best possible form which he can then roll out.”

He denied Mr Brown was a bully and said a “shrinking violet” would not make a good leader of the country.

“There is a degree of impatience about the man but what would you like, some sort of shrinking violet at the helm of the Government when we are going through such stormy waters?”

Mrs Pratt said: “I saw the Lord Mandelson statement that had a categorical denial that bullying was going on in Gordon Brown’s office. I saw red.”

She said she could not give details of the allegations, such as whether Mr Brown himself was being accused of being part of the problem.

A Conservative spokesman said: “This development suggests that there could be a cover-up at the heart of government over the Prime Minster’s behaviour.”

Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said they were “part of a pattern of allegations that raise questions about the Prime Minister’s judgment and behaviour”.

Mr Hague, MP for Richmond, said staff deserved “the highest standards” of behaviour from politicians and suggested Mr Brown was not “cut out” for the highest office.

Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman said she did not recognise the negative portrait of Mr Brown’s behaviour which was firmly denied by Number 10.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson, MP for West Hull and Hessle, said that in 17 years he had “never” heard Mr Brown swear or raise his voice and was in fact amazed at “how calm and how softly spoken he remains”.

The book risks undermining recent efforts to portray a softer side of the Prime Minister.

Comment: Page 10.