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Labour officials have compiled a dossier portraying him as an unrepentant

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Labour officials have compiled a dossier portraying him as an unrepentant right-winger with hardline economic and social views. He has, for example, called for the party to be "capable of representing all Britain and all Britons". Mr Hain said: "Of course, that Labour vote at the last election will be looking at the best way of removing the leader of the Conser- vative Party."Senior ministers, led by Tony Blair, are to launch an onslaught against Mr Howard's record in an attempt to scupper his attempt to reposition himself as a mainstream Tory. After "overwhelming representations" from members, "informal consultation" with activists would instead be conducted over the weekend.Last night, Mr Howard made the first appointments to his private office. Stephen Sherbourne, Margaret Thatcher's former political secretary, will be his chief of staff. Rachel Whetstone, his special adviser when he was Home Secretary, will be his political secretary.Mr Howard is not expected to announce a full Shadow Cabinet until Monday at the earliest. He told MPs he and the party had changed since losing office and now it was time "to look ahead, not back".

The Tories could not depend on Labour failure, economic downturns or "any other brigade of the US cavalry riding to our aid".Peter Hain, Leader of the Commons, underlined the Government's fears about Mr Howard when he suggested Labour voters in Folkestone and Hythe should vote tactically for the second-placed Liberal Democrats to unseat the Tory leader. Asked if tax cuts would be in the Tory manifesto, he replied: "That's a hope, but it's not a promise."The speed of the bloodless coup was underlined when the party's board announced his leadership would not be subjected to a formal ratification ballot of the membership. We must rediscover the habit of thinking the best of each other. We must rediscover the virtues of mutual support and friendship."Later, in a speech in Putney, Mr Howard declared he would not promise tax cuts unless they were "backed by rock-solid saving in wasteful spending". The Tory approach would be to "promise less, deliver more" and oppose the "bullying" of families and employees by Whitehall, the EU, trade unions and corporations.Mr Howard emphasised his "responsible" approach to policy in an interview with BBC News. There should be "no bystanders" on the Opposition benches, Mr Howard told the 1922 Committee of backbenchers He said: "We won't win an election unless we work as a team. He strongly opposes moves to readmit Ken Livingstone to Labour which are backed by Mr Blair, who met the Mayor of London during a visit to Dagenham yesterday.The Chancellor is furious that his arch-enemy Peter Mandelson has been brought back into a key role by Mr Blair since Alastair Campbell's departure from the post of Downing Street director of communications.

He apparently fears that Mr Mandelson will call the shots on the election campaign.Last night one ally of the Chancellor described Mr Mandelson as "the viper in the Prime Minister's breast".The simmering tension between the Government's two most powerful men surfaced at the Labour conference in Bournemouth last month, when the Chancellor staked his claim as the party's leader-in-waiting.John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, who called at the conference for the two men to stop squabbling, backed Mr Brown's bid to sit on the NEC but was said to be worried by his actions this week.Barbara Roche, a Blairite former minister, said: "It is not about personalities but about the future direction of the Labour Party It's ridiculous that Gordon is not on the NEC. He is putting himself in a position which is irritating cabinet colleagues, distracting the Prime Minister and creating an open goal for the Opposition."Mr Brown's aides insisted he was not attacking Mr Blair about the NEC decision and denied he was bitter about it. However, Mr Brown is understood to feel he has been marginalised over recent decisions on Labour matters - including postponing the Brent East by-election until September and the retirement of David Triesman, the party's general secretary. I thought that was a good relationship which involved the party as well as people in Parliament.

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