PM 'approached as TV show judge'

Producers have approached Gordon Brown to star in an Apprentice-style TV show, it has emerged after a second Cabinet minister's papers were photographed.

Hazel Blears was carrying a print-out of an e-mail about the show, provisionally titled "Junior PM", to Tuesday's Cabinet meeting.

Her spokesman said later there had been contact with TV producers, but nothing had been agreed.

It comes after briefing papers on house prices were also photographed.

Minister Caroline Flint was carrying the papers to Tuesday's meeting, when they were photographed and enlarged, to reveal fears that UK house prices could fall "at best" by 5 to 10% this year.

'Very worthy'

The e-mail to Ms Blears, from producer Margaret McCabe, says the show for young politicians would aim for an "Apprentice meets Maria/Strictly Come Dancing audience", and go out on BBC One.

"Please, please let all concerned know that this is not stunt TV," it adds.

It says, as a judge on the programme, Mr Brown could become "more popular than [Apprentice star] Alan Sugar".

A sticky note attached to the sheet states: "I think you intend to raise this in the margins of Cabinet."

Ms Blears's spokesman said nothing had been agreed.

"It is a very worthy programme idea," he said. "These young people would engage and have some kind of competition, and then there would be a way of electing a young prime minister for a day.

"The idea is to get more young people interested in politics. But it hasn't been commissioned yet. It is very early days."

The BBC said the programme was not one of its commissions, and there was no-one of the name Margaret McCabe connected to any programmes on its books at the moment.