[Mb-civic] The Observer: Brown now joint PM, says leading Blair ally

[harry.sifton at sympatico.ca]

Harry spotted this on the The Observer site and thought you should see it.

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Brown now joint PM, says leading Blair ally
· Partnership runs Britain - Clarke·  Chancellor warns of more bombings
Gaby Hinsliff, political editor
Sunday February 12 2006
The Observer


Gordon Brown and Tony Blair are now in effect running Britain as 'a dual premiership', according to one of the cabinet's most senior figures and close ally of the Prime Minister.

Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, admitted in a remarkably frank interview with The Observer that 'profound' events were unfolding, with Brown given unprecedented licence to set out his stall for the leadership while the Prime Minister was still in office. But he disclosed that he had warned Brown against appearing 'just to cavil' with his colleagues, saying that it was crucial now to show he was a team player.

Asked if Brown and Blair were now effectively running a dual premiership, Clarke said: 'That's what Tony would always want, what Gordon should do. To be a great, great leader, that requires [Gordon] to lead - he has to come out and make the speeches, make the arguments.'

Brown's new status as joint Prime Minister will be displayed tomorrow when he uses a major speech on national security to disclose that three serious terrorist attacks in Britain have been averted since 21 July - using the evidence of continued threats to justify controversial plans to outlaw the glorification of terrorism and introduce ID cards. The government faces knife-edge votes on both issues this week.

But Brown will also warn in return that the intelligence services face far tougher scrutiny, with proper parliamentary oversight of their spending for the first time, a liberalising move that the security services have long resisted.

Tomorrow's speech, at the Royal United Services Institute in London, will begin a series of addresses by the Chancellor, stamping his authority across the government.

'Addressing the reality and causes of international terrorism is the great new challenge of our times. Upon succeeding in meeting this challenge, all else depends,' Brown will say.

'So it is right to begin a series of speeches I make about how the Britain of the future will meet the global challenges ahead by addressing this question pre-eminent to our foreign defence and law and order policies, at the core of the very security and safety of our country and vital to the prosperity and future of our country.'

Clarke and Brown's relationship has been tense in the past, but they have worked closely together on terrorism and the Home Secretary's candour suggests they have reached a new understanding. The two men discussed before Christmas how to overcome obstacles to Brown's ambitions, Clarke disclosed.

'What are his problems? Problem one: what is his identity as a potential leader? He's doing that very effectively,' he said. 'Problem two, he's in the hands of economic events as they come along. Problem three, in terms of the cabinet, how does he ensure that he's working with and supporting the cabinet - helping colleagues solve their problems rather than being somebody who is just cavilling about what goes on? And my advice is, if he is somebody who appears to cavil people will get fed up, even if it's perfectly justified.'

The Brown-Blair deal has been strained by the Dunfermline by-election, with senior Blairites warning that the defeat in the Chancellor's own backyard raises serious questions over his ability to win an election. However tomorrow's lecture marks a vital stage in his evolution. It follows briefings from high-ranking intelligence and police chiefs, and sources close to the Chancellor said he had their clearance to disclose the three foiled threats, but would not give details.

'I want to remind the country that the terrorist threat has not diminished and will not diminish until we defeat it,' the Chancellor is expected to say. 'And while the 7 July attacks showed young British citizens may also resort to violence with little or no warning, a threat all the more serious because it has been the least visible, let us be in no doubt that three attack plans threatening Britain have been thwarted since 21 July.'

The disclosure of foiled attacks risks accusations of whipping up fear to get controversial legislation through parliament. Brown will defend the use of biometric identifiers on ID cards as increasingly commonplace anyway. He will link the introduction of ID cards to terrorism, arguing suspects have commonly used multiple identities. But while he will pledge extra funding for counter-terrorism to tackle new threats such as defusing explosives in crowds, his spending review will also consider greater parliamentary scrutiny, including 'the appointment of the relevant committees and their investigative power - at all points building trust in a tough security regime through necessary accountability'.

Clarke predicted the war on terror would be a 'long struggle' but al-Qaeda-related terrorism could be ended in his lifetime. He revealed serious concerns that young Muslims were becoming recruited to violent causes within Britain's prisons, saying ministers were moving to combat it. He admitted there was no clear evidence on what turned the 7 July attackers into suicide bombers, but said it was widely believed that 'one factor was people who glorify terrorism'.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited