Cherie Blair disputes Chancellor Brown's 'close ties'

People News

By Stone Martindale Sep 26, 2006, 19:01 GMT

LONDON: According to an American news wire journalist, Tony Blair's wife Cherie lashed out at Brown’s commentary that it was a "privilege" to work with husband Tony Blair. The British Prime Minister Tony Blair (R) and his wife Cherie (L)
EPA/HUGO PHILPOTT

The British Prime Minister Tony Blair (R) and his wife Cherie (L) EPA/HUGO PHILPOTTThe Chancellor delivered a speech outlining his vision as the next prime minister, Cherie snapped when she heard him praise his close relationship with her husband."Well, well, that’s a lie," she said, according to Carolin Lotter of the Bloomberg Wire Service. The controversy has put an upset in the crafted statements by both the chancellor and prime minister to present a unified Labour party conference in Manchester."Let me begin by addressing one point directly," said Brown. "I have worked with Tony Blair for almost 10 years as chancellor, the longest relationship of any prime minister and chancellor in British history. And it has been a privilege for me to work with and for the most successful ever Labour leader."Brown then said sorry for their arguments over the years. "But it’s hardly surprising that as in any relationship there have been times when we have differed," he said. "And where over these years differences have distracted from what matters, I regret that, as I know Tony does too."I will never forget, the only reason any of us are here is that we are in politics as servants of the people."Turning to the prime minister, Brown continued: "And Tony: from the first time we shared that office together in 1983 to today, you taught our party."You saw it right, you saw it clearly and you saw it through — that we can’t just be for one section of society, we’ve got to be for all of society."We can’t just be pro Labour, we’ve got to be pro-business too. And we cannot leave public services as they were, we must build them around the personal aspirations of the individual."He also made an explicit plea for the leadership, earning cheers by saying: "I would relish the opportunity to take on David Cameron and the Conservative Party." Brown promised to oppose "narrow nationalism" he stated: "I’m proud to be Scottish and British."

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