Brown steels himself for final debate after 'bigot' blunder
Gillian Duffy and Gordon Brown yesterday
Gordon Brown will attempt to lift himself for the third and final prime ministerial debate today after offering a grovelling apology for branding a pensioner “bigoted”.
With just a week left until the UK general election and polls showing the parties still deadlocked, Labour strategists have been billing this evening’s economy-themed clash as an opportunity for the Prime Minister to turn the tide of the campaign.
But thanks to his unguarded comments about Gillian Duffy, overheard on a stray microphone, Mr Brown’s personality is again centre stage.
In an email to party activists last night, the premier offered them the same “profound” apology he had made to Mrs Duffy, and promised they would see him in a different “context” in the debate.
“Many of you know me personally,” he wrote. “You know I have strengths as well as weaknesses. We all do. You also know that sometimes we say and do things we regret. I profoundly regret what I said.”
Sarah Brown joined a slew of Cabinet ministers rallying round in a bid to limit the damage, insisting her “caring” husband “hated the fact he had hurt someone”.
But the Tories claimed the real Gordon Brown had been exposed, while the British National Party sought to capitalise with adverts saying he had demonstrated the “contempt” in which mainstream politicians held ordinary people’s views.
The developments came after a dramatic day of campaigning which saw the gaffe overshadow all discussion of policy.
The premier was canvassing in Rochdale when he met retired council worker Mrs Duffy, who asked him a series of questions including about benefits and the eastern Europeans who had been “flooding” into Britain.
The discussion ended amicably, and the widow – who said she was a lifelong Labour voter – said she had found the PM “nice” and intended to vote for him by post.
But as Mr Brown was swept away in his car, he told an aide the encounter had been “a disaster”, unaware that his words were being transmitted by a Sky News radio microphone which he had forgotten to remove.
Asked what Mrs Duffy had said, he replied: “Everything, she was just a sort of bigoted woman who said she used to be Labour.”
Mrs Duffy appeared shocked when informed of his remarks, insisting: “He’s supposed to be leading the country and he’s calling an ordinary woman who’s come up and asked questions ... a bigot.”
Played a tape of his words later on BBC Radio 2, a visibly deflated PM put his head in his hand, and was soon heading for Mrs Duffy’s home to beg forgiveness.
Following their 40-minute private meeting, he told reporters he was “mortified”. “I misunderstood what she said,” he added. “She has accepted that there was a misunderstanding and she has accepted my apology. If you like, I am a penitent sinner.”
Mrs Duffy has yet to emerge publicly to give her account of the exchange.
Shadow chancellor George Osborne said Mr Brown’s comments “spoke for themselves”, adding: “The thing about general elections is that they reveal the truth about people. What people will see is the contrast between what he was saying publicly and what he was saying privately.”
But Peter Mandelson said the PM was “human” and had made a mistake, while Health Secretary Andy Burnham insisted it was an “off-the-cuff” comment that Mr Brown regretted.
Mrs Brown – who was unusually absent from her husband’s side when the incident happened – told the Daily Mirror: “People may say many things about Gordon, but they cannot say he doesn’t care. He phoned me as soon as it happened and was absolutely mortified.
“He went to see her because he hated the fact he had hurt someone. His apology was from the heart.”
Party strategists will now be scrutinising the polls for signs of how the gaffe has affected the election contest.
The latest research was conducted before the news emerged, but suggests the UK is still on track for a hung parliament.
The daily YouGov poll for The Sun showed the Tories up a point on 34%, narrowly ahead of the Lib Dems who were up three points on 31%. Labour had dropped two points to 27%.
A ComRes poll for ITV and The Independent found that the Tories had extended their lead to seven points, on 36% compared to 29% for Labour. It indicated that the Lib Dem surge may be abating as they dropped three points to 26%.
A Harris poll for Metro newspaper put the Tories on 32%, up one point over the past week. The Lib Dems were unchanged in second on 30%, and Labour was down one on 25%.
Meanwhile, ICM research for the Guardian indicated the Lib Dems were performing particularly well in marginals where they are challenging Labour.
The party leaders are due to spend most of today preparing for their showdown in Birmingham later, which is being hosted by the BBC.
David Cameron will tour a hospital and highlight the Conservatives’ pledge to create a £200 million cancer drugs fund, paid for with the NHS’s savings from the halting of the scheduled hike in National Insurance contributions.
Meanwhile, Nick Clegg is to focus on the Lib Dems’ policies to help older people.
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