Blair's revenge on rival Brown

TONY Blair's premiership has invariably been referred to as "the wasted years"; a legacy phrase that gains greater credence following publication of the first excerpts of the former Prime Minister's memoirs – and a personal account about his strained relationship with a "maddening" Gordon Brown.

Far more candid than predicted, particularly Mr Blair's valedictory justification about the Iraq war, A Journey also lays bare the extent of his dysfunctional relationship with his Chancellor, successor and nemesis, and whether his "difficult" rival should have been sacked.

These emotive words show that there was a strong element of truth behind those countless stories, all strenuously denied, that there was enmity between the two men. This is reinforced by Mr Blair's fears that he, himself, could have been removed from office if he had sacked his rival – "a standard-bearer for dissent" – for serial disloyalty. So much for concentrating on policy, Labour's default response to every story about splits.

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As Labour's longest serving PM, Mr Blair is entitled to his version of events. He also maintained a dignified silence while Mr Brown was Prime Minister and unravelling his predecessor's legacy. Yet, the book's timing is likely to cause untold damage to New Labour, its reputation and its chances of returning to power under a new leader.

Alastair Campbell and Peter Mandelson, confidants of both former Premiers, have already published their own tomes on this self-destructive power struggle while it is almost inevitable that Mr Brown, or those close to him, will respond to Mr Blair's narrative with counter assertions.

They would be advised to consider any remarks very wisely. For, by prolonging this long-running feud, they will be harming their party's electoral prospects – and demonstrating that the coalition Government, made up of two parties, is more united than New Labour ever was under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

The consequence was 12 years of government where the public interest invariably came second to a protracted rivalry that took a journey of its own, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.