Peter Mandelson - The Third Man - Life at the Heart of New Labour

Life at the Heart of New Labour

HarperPress

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Published by HarperPress in 2010

Copyright © Peter Mandelson 2010

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks

While every effort has been made to identify holders of copyright material, the author and publishers would be grateful for information that would enable any omissions to be made good in future editions of this book

HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780007395286

Ebook Edition © JULY 2010 ISBN: 9780007395316

Version: 2016-09-29

To my parents, Mary and Tony,who gave me my values and thebest upbringing anyone couldwish for

Cover

Title Page THE THIRD MAN Life at the Heart of New Labour

Copyright

Dedication

List of Illustrations

Introduction

1. ‘Can You Help Me?’

2. Born into Labour

3. A Brilliant Defeat

4. The Three Musketeers

Photographic Insert

5. An Impossible Choice

6. Being Peter

Photographic Insert

7. Being Fired

8. Fighting, Not Quitting

9. Back in the Shadows

10. Trading Places

Photographic Insert

11. Comeback Kid

12. The End of New Labour?

Epilogue

Index

Acknowledgements

About the Author

About the Publisher

My maternal grandfather, Herbert Morrison, at the May Day parade in Hyde Park, 1939. (© Popperfoto/Getty Images)

My father and mother with my paternal grandfather, Norman Mandelson.

The budding young spin-doctor? On the phone, next to my father.

At Hendon County Grammar school.

With my mother and brother Miles at the Aldermaston anti-nuclear march in the 1960s.

With Gershom Nyaranga, Rural Dean of Musoma, Tanzania, 1972.

In my bedroom study in Princes Street, Oxford, 1976.

The Weekend World team at LWT. (© ITV/Rex Features)

Admiring the red roses with Tony Blair at the Labour Party conference in Blackpool, 1990. (© John Voos/The Independent)

Keeping a watchful eye on the platform at the same conference with Julie Hall and Philip Gould. (© John Voos/The Independent)

With Neil Kinnock in Clapham, south London, July 1990. (© Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

The Labour candidate for Hartlepool in the 1992 general election. (© Trevor Humphries/Financial Times)

At the dedication of a bench to the memory of my father, Hampstead Garden Suburb, 1991. (© Nigel Sutton)

Fielding calls from the press on an early portable phone in my beloved home at Foy, Herefordshire. (© Paul Felix/Rex Features)

Key members of the shadow cabinet economic team, 1992. (© John Stillwell / PA Archive/Press Association Images)

With a group of school children in Hartlepool.

With guest speaker Mo Mowlam and friends at a constituency summer barbeque in Hartlepool.

With Prince Charles at a reception in St James’s Palace.

Planning the 1997 general election campaign with Margaret Beckett, Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. (© Tom Stoddart/Getty Images)

New Labour’s kings of spin: with Alastair and David Hill prior to our 1997 election manifesto launch. (© Fiona Hanson/PA Archive/Press Association Images)

A new dawn: the election victory party at the Royal Festival Hall on the morning of 2 May 1997. (© Brian Harris/Rex Features)

Minister without Portfolio: outside the Cabinet Office on my first day at work.

At the Millennium Dome site with Chris Smith, Michael Heseltine, Tony Blair and John Prescott. (© John Stillwell/PA Archive/Press Association Images)

John Prescott in conversation with his mate ‘Peter’. (© Ben Curtis/ PA Archive/Press Association Images)

Relaxing in the company of Sabrina Guinness and Mick Jagger.

With Bobby and Jack on the steps of Hillsborough Castle.

At Stormont with Tony and Bill Clinton, December 2000.

The Queen visits Hillsborough. Housekeeper Olywn McCarthy keeps hold of Bobby.

Making my resignation statement outside Number 10 after leaving the government for the second time, January 2001. (© Alastair Grant/AP/Press Association Images)

With Tony in Hartlepool, September 2001. This was the first time we had been photographed together since my second resignation. (© Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Supporting the campaign for justice for the families of the victims of the Omagh bombing, 2000. (© Topfoto.co.uk)

With my constituency agent, Steve Wallace, in Hartlepool.

Anxiously awaiting the result at the Hartlepool count on the night of the 2001 general election. (© Carl Rutherford/PA Archive/Press Association Images)

Jubilation with my supporters after my victory is announced. (© Ian Hodgson/Reuters/Corbis)

At the Progressive Governance Conference in London, 2003 with President Lula of Brazil, Tony and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.

With Tony at the EU–China political summit in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (© Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/Press Association Images)

Arriving at the WTO talks in Geneva, July 2008. (© Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

Irish farmers protesting in Dublin against the proposed WTO deal. ( © Collins Photo Agency, Dublin )

‘Cashmering my way into Number 10’ on my return to government for the third time, October 2008. (© Fiona Hanson/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

At the Cabinet table with Alan Johnson, David Miliband, Alistair Darling, Douglas Alexander and Ed Balls. (© Anthony Devlin/AP/ Press Association Images)

Gordon and I see the funny side during a question-and-answer session with local business people in Kent on 21 October, shortly after I rejoined the government. (© Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Resplendent in my robes on the occasion of my introduction to the House of Lords, with Roger Liddle. (© Gary Lee/Photoshot)