Cook and Brown bury the hatchet
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.GORDON BROWN and Robin Cook have held a secret summit to bury the hatchet and open a common front in support of the beleaguered Foreign Secretary, writes Paul Routledge.
The meeting, in Mr Cook's rooms at Westminster, marks a truce in one of the longest-running private wars in British politics. Labour's two big-hitters have been at loggerheads for almost 20 years.
The summit also exposes a move by the Cabinet to close ranks round the Foreign Secretary as the Conservatives gear up for a critical Commons debate this week on his turbulent private life and his fitness for high office.
The Chancellor is understood to have told him: "These things are temporary. It will go away." But the Opposition plans a further onslaught in Wednesday's debate and through a series of parliamentary questions.
The Tories scent blood, but the party's high command has decided on a "measured" attack, rather than a crude demand for Mr Cook's resignation.
The Chancellor urged the Foreign Secretary at their private meeting on Thursday night: "I am here if you need me. We may have had differences in the past, but this is the sort of thing that brings a government together."
Their candid get-together indicates that ministers fear that Mr Cook has been seriously damaged by the steady drip, drip of embarrassing revelations, culminating in last week's disclosure that he sacked his Foreign Office diary secretary, Ann Bullen, and tried to hire his mistress and Commons secretary, Gaynor Regan, in her place.
Mr Brown and Mr Cook coveted the key post of Chancellor in Labour's first government for two decades.
Focus, page 19
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments