The Conservative leader, William Hague, claims there is a "turf war" between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor after renewed allegations of tensions between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and their camps.

The reports were dismissed by the Prime Minister's official spokesman and by a source close to the Chancellor.

But there was no doubt that the publication of a biography of Mr Brown has irritated some in the Blair camp -- even though Mr Brown's team insist the book was not authorised by him or by them.

Cabinet Ministers publicly -- and privately -- denied claims that there were fresh tensions between the two men at the top of Government.

The Scottish Secretary, Donald Dewar, told the BBC that the book was unofficial and unimportant.

"This rakes over some very old political stories ... there is no split of any kind."

But the Conservatives seized upon the speculation in a bid to paint a picture of instability among Labour's two key players.

Bad blood

In another sideswipe, the Liberal Democrat leader, Paddy Ashdown, hit out at the "moral authoritarianism" of the Blair Government, and although there was no threat to end his party's constructive approach towards it, he warned that his party would implacably oppose that trend if it was not corrected.

The weekend claims of bad blood between Mr Blair and Mr Brown and their aides allowed Mr Hague to sidestep questions about his own party's policy on Europe.

Pressed about divisions, the Tory leader told Breakfast with Frost: "The real news ... is that the Prime Minister and the Chancellor are clearly at war with each other and that their assistants are at war with each other."

The book claims Tony Blair broke a leadership pact

The book at the centre of the controversy is a Brown biography by Independent on Sunday journalist Paul Routledge.

It has reopened the debate about Mr Blair's treatment of his then closest friend, Mr Brown, when they discussed who should run for the Labour leadership after the death of John Smith.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said recently that he believed the book had been "ill-advised" -- a clear acceptance that the publication of it has, to say the least, not improved relations between No 10 and No 11 Downing Street.

PM 'dismissive'

On Sunday, a spokesman added that he did not know whether the Chancellor or any of his aides had co-operated with Mr Routledge in the book, the extent to which any of it was authorised, or what it was intended to do to Mr Brown's profile.

But the official spokesman said of broader reports of tensions between Mr Blair and Mr Brown: "The Prime Minister is completely dismissive of this stuff."

Although the period highlighted in the book was a long time ago, Labour activists appear to be falling into line with either the Prime Minister or the Chancellor.

One observer said this was an advantage to Mr Brown as a rival can promise political favours to loyal supporters but a Prime Minister can only protect those he has already rewarded.
 

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