It is simple for Gordon Brown to reclaim the initiative - but his cowardice won't let him

Tony Blair has said of Gordon Brown that “the darkness in his heart and the lies will be his downfall”.

Aside from being a bit rich that Blair is calling someone else a liar, he has a point.

A friend of Blair revealed that the former PM always feared Brown did not have the right temperament or character to do the job and that’s how it has turned out.

Another source close to Mr Blair claimed: “Tony’s view is that Gordon has brought this all on himself. He spent years plotting against Tony and is in no position to complain now that it is happening to him.”

When he took over, Brown’s people put it about that he was a new broom and that would replace Labour “spin” with a more “honest” style.

That was itself spin.

Brown is anything but honest. He claimed that he was at his press conference last week, seconds after lying that he had not intended to sack chancellor Alistair Darling when it was an open secret that he wanted to install his protégé Ed Balls at Number 11.

Lord Mandelson said before he came back to the Cabinet that Brown is insecure.

A simple way to defuse that allegation is for Brown to do what John Major did many years ago. Tell the Cabinet that he is resigning as leader of the Labour Party and invite them to stand against him. Put up or shut up.

Of course, Brown won’t do anything such thing because he is fundamentally a coward.