'Mad' growth of targets has confused public, says Short

Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, admitted yesterday that Labour's performance targets had "proliferated madly".

Launching a fresh attack on government spin, Ms Short said that the party's good work in tackling poverty and creating greater equality was being undermined by its "crummy, lousy style" of presentation.

Her remarks, in an interview with The Observer, are the first criticisms of the Government's performance by a cabinet minister since the "Cheriegate" controversy.

The Department for Transport has abandoned a target of cutting road congestion in recent weeks and the Home Office has ditched pledges on subjects including drug use and the number of deportations of illegal immigrants.

Ms Short said sensible targets were useful for keeping departments focused but so many had been produced that the public was confused. "There were targets everywhere and junior ministers were on the Today programme every five minutes saying, 'We've got a target for this and a target for that'," she said.

"I hope we're a grown-up enough country to realise that when we cool down the targetry a department isn't crucified if it doesn't quite meet one because something spectacular happened."

Ms Short said politicians were in danger of losing the support of young people who no longer thought of politics as a noble profession. Talking the language of global community and tackling poverty in Africa would help to reconnect the Government with youngsters who saw politics as a more global issue.

In what Blairite ministers will see as a direct attack on the Prime Minister and Alastair Campbell, his director of communications and strategy, Ms Short was scathing about the very idea of New Labour and its tactics.

"This is basically a good Government with a crummy, lousy style. Funnily enough, [with] New Labour, the 'new' bit was presentation and actually the content of the Government is much better than the presentation. Isn't that an irony of ironies?" she said. "I think we are a lot better than our image, our style and, dare I say it, our spin. The public are sick to death of spin and want things to be more straightforward. They are right."

Although the media was partly to blame for the development of spin, the Government must accept its share of responsibility.

"It is partly the fault of the Government and the New Labour machine and trying to get a grip and get a good image, and it has backfired on us and damaged us."

As a close ally of Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, Ms Short's comments might be used by her enemies as further evidence of the tension between the Brown and Blair camps. Mr Brown is seen by many Labour MPs as more determined to get on with "straight" government than Downing Street.

The International Development Secretary infuriated Blairite ministers when she went beyond her brief to criticise top-up fees for university students.

She underlined her plain-speaking reputation again on Saturday when she warned of the dangers of military action against Iraq.

"An all-out war that caused devastating suffering to the people of Iraq would be wrong ... I also agree with those that make the point that the UN's authority in this matter must not be defied," she said.