Anger grows at Marr-Brown interview
Peter Mandelson says Andrew Marr's question on Gordon Brown's rumoured painkiller use was 'absolutely ridiculous'
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Monday, 28, Sep 2009 12:34
By Matthew Champion.
Andrew Marr succumbed to "extreme rightwing" rumourmongers when he asked Gordon Brown if he was taking prescription painkillers, an angry Peter Mandelson has said.
In an interview with the prime minister on Sunday morning, Mr Marr asked him whether he took medication to help him "get through".
"No," said Mr Brown flatly.
"I think this is the sort of questioning which is all too often entering the lexicon of British politics."
Mr Brown was beset with reports of ill health during his visit to the UN general assembly and G20 in Pittsburgh last week.
But the backlash to Mr Marr's line of questioning on his eponymous show, arguably the BBC's flagship weekly political programme, has begun in earnest at the party's annual conference in Brighton.
Speaking to GMTV this morning, business secretary Lord Mandelson said: "We have seen out there on the internet, the blogosphere, all these extreme rightwing people trying to put these smears and rumours about, all completely groundless.
"People will now know that he has had a rough time and battled to save the sight in one eye and lost it in the other as a result of the rugby accident.
"But to jump from that to say that he has got some sort of dependency or addiction is absolutely ridiculous. Frankly, the only surprising thing about all this is that the BBC of all people should choose to give it credibility."
Caroline Flint, a former Cabinet minister who famously fell out with the prime minister, sprang to Mr Brown's defence.
"I don't think there is any truth in this gossip and I think it is really quite despicable," she said.
"I think it is just very unhelpful in politics to have that sort of smears and innuendoes put about."
The rumours were given weight last week when Charles Clarke hinted ill health could allow Mr Brown to quit with his dignity intact.
The prime minister was later forced to defend his health and deny he was going blind in a US TV interview.
Downing St is understood to be angry with the BBC for keeping the story going despite an official statement being issued categorically denying the reports.