‘You ruined my life’ Brown told Blair in ‘ghastly’ row

Gordon Brown yelled repeatedly at Tony Blair: "You ruined my life!" before Blair finally agreed to announce he was standing down. The new revelation comes from Andrew Rawnsley, who has been drip-feeding morsels of Downing Street gossip ahead of the publicaton of his new book, The End of the Party.

The new tale of rage follows Rawnsley's allegations in Sunday's Observer that Brown bullied Downing Street staff.

Today's claims in the Guardian concern the events leading up to Tony Blair's statement in September 2006 that he would step down as prime minister by September 2007.

Rawnsley describes a pivotal moment, just before defence minister Tom Watson sent a letter to Blair calling for him to resign, when Brown expresses doubts to his ally, Ed Balls, over toppling Blair. Balls, then City minister, told him: "It's too late. It's all in place. It is going to happen."

Later, Brown confronted Blair in a two-hour showdown, demanding that the prime minister name a date for his resignation and work with Brown in the interim to ensure he would stand unopposed for the leadership when the time came.

"Who do you think is better than me? Do you think there is anyone who is better than me?" Brown asked, before telling Blair that John Reid is "far too rightwing", Alan Johnson is "a lightweight" and David Miliband too young.

Blair later told an ally that the confrontation was "ghastly", saying: "[Brown] kept shouting at me that I'd ruined his life." Rawnsley also reveals a Blairite nickname for Brown. During the coup, Frank Field, a Blair ally, apparently visited the prime minister and pleaded with him to stay. "You can't go yet. You can't let Mrs Rochester out of the attic," he said to Blair, referring to the mad wife of Mr Rochester who burns down the family home and commits suicide in the book Jane Eyre.   

It is not clear how much longer Rawnley's revelations can hold the attention of the press – let alone the public. But if the public apathy that met the bullying allegations – and the remarkably rude health of Labour poll standings - is anything to go by, this may not be the end of Labour's party after all. ·