Give Blair even more control, says key aide

TONY BLAIR should be given yet more power and Downing Street turned into a "commanding and dominating nerve centre" for media manipulation, the Prime Minister's favourite pollster has urged.

Philip Gould, one of the driving forces behind the creation of New Labour, claims that far from being a "control freak", Mr Blair has too little control over the various arms of government. The market researcher argues that Downing Street and Alastair Campbell, Mr Blair's press secretary, have far less power than is usually ascribed to them.

In the preface to a new paperback edition of his book, The Unfinished Revolution, to be published next month, Mr Gould claims that there is a widespread misunderstanding of the control exerted by Downing Street over Whitehall. "The idea that officials sit at No 10 smoothly pulling strings and levers, effortlessly controlling events, is ridiculous," he writes. "For the most part, they are overworked, overstretched and desperately trying to cope with a constant stream of difficult, challenging circumstances."

Mr Gould, who advises Mr Blair once a week on focus-group results, states that a strong core for government is "central" to the working of a modern administration. "Brilliant media relations are not some appendage to good government, but are essential to it. Unless you handle the media well, you cannot govern competently," he says.

"No 10 Downing Street does not need fewer communications resources, but more. It needs a state-of-the-art communications department, not to spin more, but to ensure that government is competent and effective."

Mr Gould goes on to stress that as someone who is a regular visitor to Downing Street, he realises better than most that it is a "tiny corner" in a huge Whitehall machine. As he is widely known to be one of the Prime Minister's closest confidantes, the pollster's comments are a clear attempt by Mr Blair to prepare both his party and civil servants for more centralisation.

Mr Gould's book also offers sympathy for Peter Mandelson. In a teasing indication of Mr Blair's willingness to resurrect Mr Mandelson's career, Mr Gould says the former trade and industry secretary is "a great talent who is missed by Labour and by the nation".