MP's anger as Oona King is tipped for No 10 role

By SIMON WALTERS

Last updated at 10:26 18 May 2008


Oona King

'Lightweight': Critics say Oona King is far too inexperienced for the job

A fresh dispute has erupted at Downing Street over a proposal by Gordon Brown's new public relations guru Stephen Carter to offer a senior post to former Labour MP Oona King.

Mr Carter is understood to have urged the Prime Minister to give Ms King the £70,000-a-year job of No10 political secretary – and so be responsible for repairing Mr Brown's troubled relations with Labour MPs.

But the initiative has been criticised by Labour MPs, who say Ms King is far too inexperienced to cope with such a highly sensitive task.

"Oona is a complete lightweight and would only make matters worse," said one senior MP.

"We need a big hitter who will command respect, not someone who thinks she can persuade us to like Gordon by fluttering her eyelashes.

"Just because Stephen Carter thinks she is right for the job doesn't mean she should get it.

"The trouble with No10 is that they just don't listen to MPs any more."

Ms King is said to have won Mr Carter's backing after supporting his criticism of Labour's decision to target Edward Timpson, the Conservative candidate in Thursday's Crewe and Nantwich by-election, as a "toff".

Ms King agreed with Mr Carter, former chief executive of the public relations firm Brunswick, that the tactic could backfire on Labour in other parts of Britain.

But Labour officials overruled him, arguing him it was proving successful among supporters in Crewe.

The vacancy follows Mr Brown's decision to drop current political secretary Fiona Gordon, who worked in Downing Street for Tony Blair.

Ms King was MP for Bethnal Green and Bow but lost her seat at the last General Election to ex-Labour MP George Galloway, who stood for the Respect party.

In her memoirs last year, Ms King boasted of her admiration for Mr Brown, saying: "No disrespect to my husband when I say that listening to Gordon at his best is better than sex."

Labour sources played down a report that Chief Whip Geoff Hoon may be sacked in a summer reshuffle and replaced by his deputy, Nick Brown, a long-standing ally of the Prime Minister.

Some MPs claim Mr Hoon is to blame for the outbreak of disloyalty to Gordon Brown from Labour backbenchers.

"Geoff made the transition from arch-Blairite to arch-Brownite rather too smoothly," said one.

"We are crying out for some iron discipline and that can only stem from the Chief Whip. Geoff doesn't crack the whip at all."

Former trade union fixer Mr Brown is renowned for his strong-arm methods.

In her memoirs, Cherie Blair calls him a "thug".

Most watched News videos