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Labour plot to remove Blair

Labour plot to remove Blair

Ed Balls has described the Daily Telegraph's story that alleged he was part of a plot, led by Gordon Brown, to remove Tony Blair from power after the 2005 General Election as "nonsense". He also describes the Telegraph's story on Saturday with the headline "billions squandered by Labour" as "pathetic". He said on Twitter "Today's Telegraph story was nonsense - tomorrow's is just pathetic".


Responding to the publication of Mr Balls’ personal papers on the Blair – Brown transition, he said this morning: "There is nothing here to justify claims of a plot." He added: "We did pull off that stable and orderly transition, but the allegation that there was a plot, that there was nastiness, brutality - it’s just not true. It’s not justified, either, from reading the documents which I saw last night."

Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell is set to order a Whitehall leak inquiry into the publication of the papers, PoliticsHome has learned. The last time Mr Balls saw the handwritten and other notes was on his desk in the Department for Education just before the General Election and it is understood they were not transferred to his Commons office after Labour lost power. The DfE Permanent Secretary David Bell has launched an investigation.

It is understood that Mr Balls was not aware until now that the papers were missing. The documents were not in the boxes of papers and belongings that arrived in his House of Commons office from the DfE after the election.

Ed Miliband said today: "I think what you are seeing is an overhyped version of history and frankly the era of Blair and Brown is over."

Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Michael Fallon said: "As recently as last year, Ed Balls and Ed Miliband were denying something we now know to be true. While Britain's debt doubled, welfare spending spiralled out of control and education standards fell, they were obsessing about getting rid of the elected Prime Minister and putting Gordon Brown into the position.

"Instead of owning up to their role in a dysfunctional government and coming up with a credible plan to deal with the problems facing Britain, they are starting to plot against each other. They can never be trusted with government again."

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