Spin doctor rules out No10 return

But Mr Whelan, Gordon Brown’s former Press secretary, fuelled speculation he would play a leading role in Labour’s General Election campaign.

A Sunday newspaper reported that No10 had denied he was being lined up as the Prime Minister’s spokesman but it was likely he would be based at Labour HQ.

Mr Whelan, political director of trade union Unite, told his followers on the Twitter website: “I am NOT going to work in No 10.”

When Chancellor Alistair Darling said last month that Downing Street had unleashed the “forces of hell” on him following a newspaper interview, Mr Whelan was suspected as being part of the smear campaign.

Yesterday Mr Darling said he would be “very happy” for Mr Whelan to be involved in Labour’s election campaign.

Mr Whelan was sacked as Mr Brown’s spokesman in 1999.