A new book alleges that Gordon Brown, the embattled British prime minister, regularly swears and shouts at key aides, throws chairs around his office, and once grabbed a staffer by the lapels in a fit of rage. An anti-bullying helpline even claims to have received calls from his office. While Brown has denied being a bully, even his allies have acknowledged that he can be "demanding" and "angry" at times. With Brown facing reelection in May, do the accusations cast doubt on his fitness to lead? (Watch Gordon Brown deny accusations of violence)
Bullying is unacceptable in 10 Downing St: No doubt the pressure of being a prime minister is "intense," says an unsigned op-ed in the Times of London. But there can be "no excuse" for "bawling out civil servants and junior staff," as Brown appears to have done. Creating such a "culture of intimidation" is "behaviour unbecoming to the office of prime minister." If Brown can't "bear the load" of the job without losing his temper, "then he should not be doing it."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
US won its war on 'murder hornets,' officials saySpeed Read The announcement comes five years after the hornets were first spotted in the US
-
California declares bird flu emergencySpeed Read The emergency came hours after the nation's first person with severe bird flu infection was hospitalized
-
Trump, Musk sink spending bill, teeing up shutdownSpeed Read House Republicans abandoned the bill at the behest of the two men
