Peter Watt on the Daily Politics

Pre order Peter's book, INSIDE OUT, HERE.

From the ES City Diary...

Former Labour Party Treasurer Peter Watt says: “We had — in every year bar one — spent more money than we had raised. Year on year our debts had soared to £30million.” At least their approach to economic management has a certain consistency, then...

The Truth Hurts

Kevin Maguire has just made a laughing stock of himself on Sky News. He launched a vicious personal attack on Peter Watt - I won't even repeat what he said as it was beneath contempt. He then said that books like this never sell any copies and that they are only ever published because the Mail on Sunday will pay £20,000 or £25,00o in serialisation fees. That just about shows how little he knows about anything. We have more than 8,000 orders for this book, and it has received the largest serialisation for any political book since Alastair Campbell's diaries. Perhaps Kevin is jealous.

Attacks like this make me realise that Brown's acolytes have been deeply wounded by this book because they know it is an accurate record of what happened. If you'd like to shove the knife in a bit deeper, click HERE.

The Price of Loyalty

Michael White has written a good piece on Peter Watt and his new book on the Guardian website this morning. After a bit of bluster, he settles down to explain why he

I barely knew Peter Watt (still don't), but was told that he and his wife foster children with disabilities, which probably makes them better people than most of us.

Labour is still in deep financial trouble as the election looms and one of Watt's complaints – as the man charged with keeping his party solvent – is that Brown was uninterested in fundraising.

He was willing to waste £1m the party didn't have in planning a 2007 election he eventually decided not to stage. Watt says he was one of those who warned the boss not to gear up for a election and then bottle it. Hey ho.

Why am I indulgent towards such disloyalty to his party when only last week I deplored it in Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt? Because Hewitt and Hoon owed their party loyalty rather than hack-handed, counterproductive plotting. Because Hewitt was a fanatical champion of loyalty to Neil Kinnock when she was on his staff. Whatever he thinks now, Kinnock keeps his mouth shut.

But as Watt reports, he was deemed to be the expendable official who could be made a scapegoat. Brown referred to "crimes" committed and Watt was required to resign – left to the waiting wolves. No wonder he's cross.

No point in MPs moaning. He was badly let down by colleagues who should have protected him. When Tony Blair's staff were under threat over the almost-as-spurious loans-for-honours investigation he stood by his team, though he was less loyal to fundraiser Lord Michael Levy.

As for the anecdotes Watt has put into his book, they won't tell you much you probably don't know about the Brown style, though the hissy fit he allegedly threw when some VIP American guests (plus the Watts) sat down to supper at No 10 without him (he was on the phone) startled even me. The placement doesn't matter that much, Gordon, it really doesn't.

On shakier ground Watt reports that Douglas Alexander – due to perform at tonight's PLP as elections coordinator – told him that he was keen on a quickie 2007 election because the more voters knew Gordon the more they'd dislike him. It's tempting to believe it, but it generally wise to mistrust what X says Y says and means.

Last week Brown reportedly promised colleagues like Alexander to be more collegiate in future. But the Sunday papers report that the defence secretary, Bob Ainsworth, is thinking of resigning.

A solid citizen is Ainsworth, underestimated by the hooligans on account of not going to Oxford. The BBC's Nick Robinson reports that news of his possible resignation is news to Ainsworth.

Ask Peter Watt, Bob.

PS The book is now 78 in the Amazon Hot 100. You can push it further by pre-ordering ot HERE.

And In At Number Ten, Goes Peter Watt

INSIDE OUT is already 121 in the Amazon chart and has entered the Top 10 Biography chart.

Pre-order it from Amazon HERE

Sky News Report on Peter Watt

How to PR a New Book

Yesterday evening, the news broke that my company, Biteback, is publishing Peter Watt's book INSIDE OUT. We've waited a long time for this and whenever you're dealing with a newspaper serialisation you're praying that nothing goes wrong. There's also that nagging doubt in the back of your mind that gnaws away. Have you misjudged it? Will anyone be interested after all? Well, I think it is safe to say that there has been quite a bit of interest!

So, as Cilla might say, let's have a quick reminder of the media coverage the book has had in the last few hours

• Front page of the Mail on Sunday & 5 inside pages
• Editorial of the Mail on Sunday
• Coverage on BBC1 main news bulletin
• Coverage on each BBC News Channel bulletin since 9pm
• Coverage on each Sky News bulletin since 10pm inc MoS video interview with Peter W
• Lead item on Sky News paper review
• Lead item on BBC News channel paper review
• Lead item on the Nolan Show paper review on 5 Live
• Lead news story on Sky News website
  
• Sunday Telegraph story
• BBC News website story
• Furious tweets from Charlie Whelan
• Green eyed monster tweets from the political editor of the Sunday Mirror
• Blogpost on Spectator Coffee House
• Blogpost on Spectator Coffee House by Alex Massie
  
• Blogpost on Political Betting
• Blogpost on ConservativeHome
• Blogpost on Guido Fawkes
• Blogpost on LabourList
• Already reached the top 300 Amazon best sellers two weeks ahead of publication

If you add up all that lot, I reckon around 7 million people will be aware that the book is coming out. Now, all I need is for David Cameron to mention it during his interview with Andrew Marr.

Someone on Twitter last night had a go at Peter for taking his book to me to publish. He did it because he knows I know how to publish political books. I'd say the above list provides at least some evidence in that direction. And before anyone asks, yes, if I was asked to publish a book detailing similar things relating to the Tories, I would. Biteback is, like Total Politics, non partisan in its publishing.

A good night's work, I'd say. Job done.*

* And if I sound a bit self-satisfied, you're right. It's because I know when I've done something right!

Peter Watt: Gordon's Part in My Downfall

The Mail on Sunday are devoting six pages, including the front, to the Peter Watt story in tomorrow's paper. I'll add links when they are up on the Mail website but among the items discussed are these...

• The full story behind the election that never was
• What Douglas Alexander really thought of Gordon Brown (see the quote in blue above)
• How Harriet Harman ended up writing the election manifesto
  
• How Gordon Brown hung Peter Watt out to dry after the Donorgate scandal, having told him he would be taken care of
• How Labour used party members posing as members of the public in election stunts
• How Brown came to power with no plan of action
  
• How Gordon Brown sulked at his own dinner party
  

Peter Watt's book INSIDE OUT: MY STORY OF BETRAYAL AND COWARDICE AT THE HEART OF NEW LABOUR is published by Biteback on 25 January. preorder it HERE.

UPDATE: The Mail on Sunday editorial concerns the book too, HERE. Headlined - Glowering on his throne - The Mr Toad of Number Ten.

UPDATE 10.18pm: Simon Walters front page story is now on the Mail website HERE.

UPDATE 10.20pm: The first extract of the book is HERE.

Peter Watt Tells His Story

At last I can reveal the book project which I have been dropping hints about on Twitter over the last few weeks. Peter Watt, you may remember, was General Secretary of the Labour Party throughout the Cash for Honours period and the election that never was. He was forced, by Gordon Brown, to resign his post following the David Abrahams 'Donorgate' affair. This is his story, which my company, Biteback is publishing. And believe you me, it is quite a story.

The book isn't published until 25 January, but over the next couple of weeks, starting tomorrow, the Mail on Sunday will be publishing extracts from it.

Some will say that it's ironic that I am publishing the book, bearing in mind some of the things I wrote about Peter at the time. He's obviously a very forgiving person! The book is a cracking tale and is written by Peter in co-operation with top political journalist Isabel Oakeshott.

When their agent sent me the book synopisis and two sample chapters I could hardly believe what I was reading. Virtually every page elicited an "Oh my God" or something stronger. But the great thing about the book is that it doesn't read as though it is motivated by any desire for revenge. It is a deeply - and at times very moving - human story, and one which anyone who has ever worked for a political party will easily relate to.

I can't reveal any contents of the book until they appear on the Mail on Sunday website, but believe you me, you won't be disappointed.

You can order the book from Amazon HERE.