The worst-kept secret in Whitehall is that Gordon Brown hates to delegate. The UK chancellor and probable next prime minister is known across government for his reluctance to involve other ministers in decisions. Now Lord Turnbull, cabinet secretary until two years ago and before that the senior civil servant at the Treasury, has offered a unique public insight into how Mr Brown’s management style affects policymaking.

In Tuesday’s Financial Times, Lord Turnbull described Mr Brown’s “Stalinist” ruthlessness in asserting Treasury control and in denying cabinet colleagues a role in deciding priorities for their own departments.