mr. mandelson. peter would slip into the castle through a secret passageway and by nimble footwork and -- cleave his way to the throne room. >> this is tony's book? >> yes. and you, meanwhile, alastair would be an old battering ram destroying the castle gates and neither boiling pitch nor wind-forced doors would keep him out. that's not bad, is it? >> yeah, well -- >> he had great clanking balls as well. >> right. >> let's move on. did you sign a confidentiality agreement when you took this post in 1994 or subsequently in 1997? >> i can't -- i don't think i did. i signed -- i mean, i was covered from 1997 by the official secrets act. i can't remember if i signed a confidentiality agreement in opposition. >> in 1997, after the first of may, you entered downing street. can you remember whether you were vetted or not? >> i was. >> can you remember when you were approximately? >> i can't remember exactly when, but i can remember being told early on i would have to be. i mean, for example, very early in

mr. mandelson. do you remember that? >> no. i wasn't involved in that discussion. >> it's unlikely given they were wondering whether you were the right person. >> and mr. blair said he wanted a tabloid person and thought alastair campbell would be the best. did he discuss that with you in terms of the need for a tabloid person? >> no. what he said to me when he finally approached me was that he wanted somebody that was strategic, that understood the press, and that would be able to do the job that he wanted done. so i don't recall it being particularly that he wanted somebody who was from the tabloids, but he wanted somebody that kind of knew that world. >> yes. by that stage of course you'd been political editor of the "mirror" for a number of years, hadn't you? >> had been. but by that time i was an editor on "today," which was then known by "news." >> and according to mr. blair, "i wanted a hard nut and thought he was good. what i got was a genius." >> sweet. >> the last bit i won't ask you to comment on. but the hard nut is

mr. mandelson's view. we've provided for you the piece in the guardian which you wrote in july of last year. it's under tab seven. >> yeah. >> you said the truth is, no issue of power to your principle was involved. we simply chose to be coward because we are too fearful to do otherwise. then he said, david cameron took up by the time tony blair and gordon brown left off. ignoring what happened after may 2010, would you agree with mandelson's view, we simply chose to be coward? >> i agree with it to some extent. i mean, he said there were no -- there was no issue of principle or priority. i think there were issues of principle and priority which i referred to a moment ago. but i do accept that part of the thinking of the prime minister and some of his colleagues was that to take on the whole of the press at the time when most of the public thought we got a pretty good deal was politically not very sensible. >> it might have been difficult to have approached this on a cross-party basis at any time between 1

mr. mandelson. peter would slip into the castle through a secret passageway and by nimble footwork and -- cleave his way to the throne room. >> this is tony's book? >> yes. and you, meanwhile, alastair would be an old battering ram destroying the castle gates and neither boiling pitch nor wind-forced doors would keep him out. that's not bad, is it? >> yeah, well -- >> he had great clanking balls as well. >> right. >> let's move on. did you sign a confidentiality agreement when you took this post in 1994 or subsequently in 1997? >> i can't -- i don't think i did. i signed -- i mean, i was covered from 1997 by the official secrets act. i can't remember if i signed a confidentiality agreement in opposition. >> in 1997, after the first of may, you entered downing street. can you remember whether you were vetted or not? >> i was. >> can you remember when you were approximately? >> i can't remember exactly when, but i can remember being told early on i would have to be. i mean, for example, very early in

mr. mandelson. peter would slip into the castle through a secret passageway and by nimble footwork and -- cleave his way to the throne room. >> this is tony's book? >> yes. and you, meanwhile, alastair would be an old battering ram destroying the castle gates and neither boiling pitch nor wind-forced doors would keep him out. that's not bad, is it? >> yeah, well -- >> he had great clanking balls as well. >> right. >> let's move on. did you sign a confidentiality agreement when you took this post in 1994 or subsequently in 1997? >> i can't -- i don't think i did. i signed -- i mean, i was covered from 1997 by the official secrets act. i can't remember if i signed a confidentiality agreement in opposition. >> in 1997, after the first of may, you entered downing street. can you remember whether you were vetted or not? >> i was. >> can you remember when you were approximately? >> i can't remember exactly when, but i can remember being told early on i would have to be. i mean, for example, very early in

. >> lord mandelson, one of his concluding observations, it's an interview mr. warnersly carried out. lord mandelson referred to page 9 of mr. warnsly's book. there was a great emphasis on managing the media. the expense of managing policy. it was a sense that if you got the story right you'd achieved something and that's not how government is. do you feel there's any validity in that comment? >> no. i think the policy process was always taken more seriously. but i think we all spent far too much time sfoexed on -- and i speak now as the guy who was in charge of this. the politicians spent way too much time worrying about this stuff. >> what you said, media issues take up much too much time of the prime minister and other senior ministers. >> yeah. but just in their defense, it's very difficult when these full-on frenzies are coming at you. there comes a point where the prime minister will say i need to get out there and deal with this. my point is i think that i think they can have a lot more space and the public are much more savvy about this now and the more s

. >> lord mandelson, one of his concluding observations, it's an interview mr. wamsley carried out of lord mandelson rre

. >> lord mandelson, one of his concluding observations, it's an interview mr. warnersly carried out. lord mandelson referred to page 9 of mr. warnsly's book. there was a great emphasis on managing the media. the expense of managing policy. it was a sense that if you got the story right you'd achieved something and that's not how government is. do you feel there's any validity in that comment? >> no. i think the policy process was always taken more seriously. but i think we all spent far too much time sfoexed on -- and i speak now as the guy who was in charge of this. the politicians spent way too much time worrying about this stuff. >> what you said, media issues take up much too much time of the prime minister and other senior ministers. >> yeah. but just in their defense, it's very difficult when these full-on frenzies are coming at you. there comes a point where the prime minister will say i need to get out there and deal with this. my point is i think that i think they can have a lot more space and the public are much more savvy about this now and the more s

mandelson at the time this analyst by the media and just in a proper way. i think you can catch it late at. >> is it true that in exchange for generally speaking mr.lair, the sun would often be the first to receive an excuse or this new labour government bush to go down? >> i like to think we were the first to receive this degree of political journal. but we did get a lot. >> with respect to you? >> not all of them were particularly pleasant, so no. >> some of them were with you, now? >> trevor and i had some good courses. >> mr. blair and sawyer-- mr. blair himself was a good source? >> as you said yourself you don't reveal your sources. [inaudible] >> tab three, you put in a revised version. >> heavily? okay. >> we need to be absolutely clear about it. you're not than this sort necessarily as 100% complete. and to the documents you've told some meanings may not be included. for this to not be seen as either an indicative. is that the way people wish to put it? >> that's correct. >> we know from alastair campbell's diary that there was a dinner on the 27th of april april 1997, you and your ex has been mr. blair, mr. campbell, which was four days

mr. brown to speak to your urgently? >> i put a request earlier in the afternoon. >> or later in the afternoon. >> you've probably seen lord mandelson's account that he eventually did speak to you, didn't he? >> yes, he did. >> there is a slight difference to one word used, which we better not going to. >> the chump or a? >> yes, that was what he was claimed to have said. >> was he angry or not? >> well, depending how you heard it, it could be quite enough offensive word. so he seemed quite angry, but not surprised. >> no, because as you have said, the tone of your coverage had been unfavorable to the government for some time, hadn't it? >> did you have any conversation with mr. brown on or shortly after september 09? >> i did have a conversation with mr. brown and i think it was in october, rather than that night without week. >> within a week of -- >> no, i think is a few weeks after. >> why did it take you so long to speak to him? >> well, i had tried to speak to him and then i spoken to lord mandelson instead. and it is clear that there is nothing more to say about point. [inaudible] >> i don't think he wanted to talk to me. >> a

mr. brown to speak to you urgently, with that at? >> i requested to speak to him, later in the afternoon, sorry. >> you have probably seen lord mandelsonand that he eventually did speak to you, didn't he? >> yes, he did. >> and there is a slight difference as to one word that was used which we had better not go into. >> the chump word, yes. that is what he claimed to have said, yes. >> was he angry or not? >> depending on how you heard it, chump can be quite inoffensive words so he seemed quite angry. but not surprised. >> as you said, your coverage had been unfavorable to the government for some time, hadn't at? >> yes. >> did you have any conversation with mr. brown on or before september 29? >> i did have a conversation with mr. brown and i think it was in october rather than that night or that week. >> so within a week? >> no, i think it was a few weeks after. >> why did it take you so long to speak to him? >> well, i had tried to speak to him that night and i had spoken to lord mandelson instead. it was clear that there was nothing more to say at that point. >> alright. >> i didn't think you wanted to talk to me. >> when he did sp

mr. mandelson. peter would slip into the castle through a secret passageway and by nimble footwork and -- cleave his way to the throne room. >> this is tony's book? >> yes. and you, meanwhile, alastair would be an old battering ram destroying the castle gates and neither boiling pitch nor wind-forced doors would keep him out. that's not bad, is it? >> yeah, well -- >> he had great clanking balls as well. >> right. >> let's move on. did you sign a confidentiality agreement when you took this post in 1994 or subsequently in 1997? >> i can't -- i don't think i did. i signed -- i mean, i was covered from 1997 by the official secrets act. i can't remember if i signed a confidentiality agreement in opposition. >> in 1997, after the first of may, you entered downing street. can you remember whether you were vetted or not? >> i was. >> can you remember when you were approximately? >> i can't remember exactly when, but i can remember being told early on i would have to be. i mean, for example, very early in