Short plans to tell all in book forecast to earn her £500,000

Clare Short is planning a potentially explosive book on her time in government, which could heap fresh embarrassment on Tony Blair.

The book, which is expected to make her £500,000, will expose "major deficiencies", including the £1bn Millennium Dome, the Government's alleged obsession with spin and the handling of the Iraq crisis.

Her memoirs are likely to reopen wounds in the Labour Party and quash hopes that she would stifle her criticism after making her devastating resignation speech.

Publishers are expected to compete for the book, which will probably touch on her colourful personal life, including her decision when she was an 18-year-old undergraduate to give up her son for adoption. The former minister was reunited with the son, Toby Graham, in 1996 and now has a close relationship with him.

Mr Graham revealed Ms Short's plans for a book in an article in the London Evening Standard yesterday. "Clare plans to put it all in a book," he said. "I hope Mr Blair listens to what Clare said and tries to understand why she said it. But experience tells me not to hold my breath."

Publishers said that her story would be a hot property. "Clare has got an extremely interesting story to tell and she is a voice and everybody will be interested hearing," said John Berry, commissioning editor of the Politico's publishing house. "It's an interesting political and human story as well which would strike a chord with readers everywhere." The book is expected to attract an advance of £150,000, with up to £350,000 for serialisation rights.

The former secretary of state for international development, who missed an important vote on foundation hospitals last week and resigned on Monday, may also set out her views on the Government's reforms of the National Health Service.