Brown in fresh row over 'forces of hell' allegations

Feb 24, 2010, 8:44 GMT

London - The row in Britain over the alleged short temper of Prime Minister Gordon Brown escalated Wednesday with fresh allegations involving one of Brown's closest allies in government.

Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and close Labour Party ally of Brown for decades, revealed that the 'forces of hell' were unleashed on him by Brown aides at the height of the banking crisis in 2008.

Darling told a TV station that the 'briefing against him' was prompted by his remark in late 2008 that Britain faced the worst economic recession in 60 years.

But on television Wednesday, Brown denied he had ever instructed his aides to unleash 'the forces of hell' against Darling.

Brown told GMTV he and Darling had been friends for 20 years, and held 'huge mutual respect for each other.'

'I would never instruct anybody to do anything other than support my chancellor,' said Brown.

It was widely speculated at the time that Brown tried to move Darling from his powerful post of running the economy but failed when Darling put up a fight.

The latest revelations in a series of 'bullying' allegations against Brown come just a few months before a general election in which the Labour Party is fighting for its survival after 13 years in power.