Patten under attack for 'smear' tactics

SPECULATION over Labour's future leader took a farcical turn yesterday when a Cabinet minister used a by-election news conference to impart the view, attributed to a Shadow Cabinet member, that Downing Street might prove too small for Tony Blair's family, writes Patricia Wynn Davies.

The controversial episode was immediately denounced by Labour as a Tory smear.

John Patten, Secretary of State for Education, lived up to his growing reputation for shooting from the hip when he reported a hotly denied train conversation with Mo Mowlam, Labour's heritage spokeswoman, at the Tories' press conference for the Eastleigh, Hampshire, by-election.

Mr Patten claimed that Dr Mowlam had indicated that one of the main preoccupations of Tony Blair, the shadow Home Secretary, 'was the fact that when he moves into Number 10 he is going to need extra bedrooms for the children in the flat upstairs because there is not adequate accommodation'.

Mr Blair is the front-runner to succeed the late John Smith.

Mr Patten and Dr Mowlam had been sharing a first-class compartment on the early morning journey from London. Mr Patten told reporters: 'She was able to tell me an awful lot about Tony Blair's campaign.'

Dr Mowlam dismissed Mr Patten's claims. Mr Blair said: 'It's a complete fabrication.'

The affair eclipsed the serious topics selected by the three main parties for discussion yesterday - education for the Tories, pensions for Labour and the economy for the Liberal Democrats. Stephen Reid, (Conserative) is defending a 17,000 majority against David Chidgey (Liberal Democrat) tipped to win the contest, also on 9 June, and Marilyn Birks (Labour).

1992 General Election result: Stephen Milligan (C) 38,998; David Chidgey (LD) 21,296; Jo Sugrue (Lab) 15,768. C maj: 17,702.