A TASTE OF CHERIE:

Labour's idea of a truce... Brown a 'liar' (JAMES KIRKUP, 9/26/06, The Scotsman)

Four words attributed to Mrs Blair shortly after noon yesterday blew apart the carefully stage-managed launch of Mr Brown's public campaign for the Labour leadership.

Mr Brown was delivering a considered, even conciliatory speech to the Labour Party conference, effectively making a carefully crafted peace offering: the speech had praise for Mr Blair, warm name-checks for almost the entire Cabinet and even a tacit admission that Mr Brown himself bore some responsibility for a decade and more of Labour in-fighting.

The intention was to allay growing Labour doubts about the Chancellor's character, to assure the country he is not a bitter, sulking plotter but a leader of humility, warmth and honesty.

Tackling his partnership with Mr Blair head-on, Mr Brown opened up by admitting that his "differences" with the Prime Minister have "distracted" the government, something he said he regretted. But, overall, he told delegates: "It has been a privilege to work with and for the most successful ever Labour leader and Labour Prime Minister."

At that point, Mrs Blair - watching the speech on a television outside the auditorium of Manchester's G-Mex centre - was allegedly overheard by a US television producer saying: "Well, that's a lie." She then walked out of the conference complex.