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01/07/2009
Withdraw Data 'Untruth' Mandelson Tells Osborne
Lord Mandelson has strongly refuted Shadow Chancellor George Osborne's claims he was denied access to a government file on public spending.
The Business Secretary accused Mr Osborne of spreading a "deliberate untruth", suggesting the Tory has been behind a series of "innuendo in pursuit of a smear".
Mr Osborne said he would have published the data, which lists the government's financing in 12,000 different areas.
However, the Shadow Chancellor claimed the Prime Minister stepped in to stop the database's release.
It was Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell who blocked the request, not Mr Brown, according to Lord Mandelson.
"Mr Osborne had said something about the prime minister which he knows to be untrue," said the honorific First Secretary of State.
"He should step back, consider what he said and withdraw something that is untrue.
"There is a very unattractive pattern of behaviour that is starting to emerge with George Osborne, of innuendo in pursuit of a smear," added the Labour peer.
Last night, Mr Osborne told the BBC his party had been refused access to the Combined Online Information System.
He said: "Gordon Brown is denying to the opposition the information on spending items in the government budget which would help us plan for government, help us plan for dealing with the debt crisis."
Lord Mandelson today urged the Shadow Chancellor to withdraw his remarks to avoid any embarrassment to Conservative leader David Cameron during this afternoon's Prime Minister's questions.
(PR/JM)
The Business Secretary accused Mr Osborne of spreading a "deliberate untruth", suggesting the Tory has been behind a series of "innuendo in pursuit of a smear".
Mr Osborne said he would have published the data, which lists the government's financing in 12,000 different areas.
However, the Shadow Chancellor claimed the Prime Minister stepped in to stop the database's release.
It was Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell who blocked the request, not Mr Brown, according to Lord Mandelson.
"Mr Osborne had said something about the prime minister which he knows to be untrue," said the honorific First Secretary of State.
"He should step back, consider what he said and withdraw something that is untrue.
"There is a very unattractive pattern of behaviour that is starting to emerge with George Osborne, of innuendo in pursuit of a smear," added the Labour peer.
Last night, Mr Osborne told the BBC his party had been refused access to the Combined Online Information System.
He said: "Gordon Brown is denying to the opposition the information on spending items in the government budget which would help us plan for government, help us plan for dealing with the debt crisis."
Lord Mandelson today urged the Shadow Chancellor to withdraw his remarks to avoid any embarrassment to Conservative leader David Cameron during this afternoon's Prime Minister's questions.
(PR/JM)
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