London - Mr Peter Mandelson unwittingly encouraged Ms Margaret Cook to go public about the bitter break-up of her marriage to the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Robin Cook, it emerged yesterday in an extract of her book published in the Sunday Times.
Mr Cook's ex-wife, in the latest extract of her book, says Mr Mandelson played the role of negotiator several times during their tricky divorce proceedings. It was during a telephone conversation with him, before her divorce was finalised, that she realised she could write a book about her marriage without costing her husband his job.
"Peter Mandelson rang to find out how I was coping. I picked up from him that there would be considerable resistance to the media deciding which and when cabinet ministers should resign, and he did not seem to think Robin was in danger of losing his job."
Mr Jack Cunningham, Cabinet Office minister, yesterday denied Sunday times allegations in that he had misused taxpayers' money on Concorde air travel, luxury European hotels, gourmet dining and Scotch whiskey that cost £7.60 a shot. Opposition Conservatives said the report was fresh evidence that the Labour government was "removed from the people".