Someone really doesn’t like Douglas Alexander

Last Sunday, The Observer suggested that Douglas Alexander’s political career was effectively over after a falling out with the Prime Minister. This Sunday brings another anti-Alexander briefing with The News of the World reporting that he’s been dubbed ‘worst minister ever’ at DFID and that when the cabinet split up into break out groups, a Stephen carter innovation, Alexander was the last to be picked.

The string of stories in recent days about divisions within the Brown camp shows that the tensions between the old Brownites and the new Carter-recruited team are a potentially lethal threat to Brown’s premiership. But the briefing against Alexander seems more likely to be a product of tensions amongst those who have been with Brown for a long time.

These private feuds going public all adds to the feeling that the Brown government is stumbling, directionless and on the way out. If Brown is to fight his way back, he’ll need to restore internal discipline first.