Labour MPs rode to Gordon Brown’s defence following accusations that he had exhibited a “Stalinist ruthlessness” in government, belittling his cabinet colleagues whom the Treasury treated with “more or less complete contempt”, according to the man who was Britain’s top civil servant until two years ago.

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Philip Stephens on the implications for Gordon Brown of Lord Turnbull’s comments

Speaking to the Financial Times – as part of a series of interviews for an in-depth analysis of Mr Brown’s 10 years at the Treasury – Lord Turnbull, permanent secretary to the Treasury for four years under Mr Brown before becoming cabinet secretary in 2002, accused the prime minister-in-waiting of a “very cynical view of mankind and his colleagues”.