LONDON — A rift between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown is threatening their partnership and creating new problems for the Labor Party as it prepares to seek an unprecedented third term in power.
Long the talk of members of Parliament, civil servants and the media, the battle between supporters of Blair and Brown erupted into fresh headlines this week after a book recounted in detail the depth of their purported rancor. It included a claim that Blair had betrayed Brown last year by deciding he would run for a third term as prime minister instead of turning over the party's leadership to Brown.
On Monday, Labor lawmakers chastised Blair and Brown when they appeared before them at a private meeting in Parliament. There was "a real roasting" from backbenchers, said a BBC journalist. The parliamentarians told both sides to resolve their differences or risk ruin in the next general vote, expected to be held in May.
Blair promised that he and Brown would silence the gossip coming from their supporters. "I know from everyone here, in Cabinet and government, nothing is going to get in the way of a unified Labor Party," the BBC quoted Blair as saying.
Conservative Party opponents, meanwhile, were looking on with glee, with Tory leader Michael Howard accusing Blair and Brown of acting "like schoolboys." Labor has maintained a consistent lead over the Conservatives in polls, and Howard has been looking for a weakness to exploit.
Blair and Brown have been a formidable team for most of their political careers. They were among the primary architects of "New Labor," sidelining radical leftists in the 1990s to make their party electable and ending the Conservatives' 18-year grip on government.
Blair has been seen as the smooth-tongued leader from northern England, able to win over voters with his boyish energy and unwavering earnestness even in the face of strong popular opposition to the Iraq war.
Brown, a businesslike Scotsman, has operated largely behind the scenes, bringing foes and budgets into line and hammering out policies that appeal to the center of Britain's electorate while not abandoning Labor's traditional concern for the poor and working class.
In tandem, they brought their party victory in 1997 and later strengthened its hold on government with a huge parliamentary majority. They married a left of center social agenda with an emphasis on fiscal discipline. It has resulted in lower inflation, higher employment and more funds for public services.
