Gordon's job offer for Paddy splits Lib-Dems

Job offer: Paddy Ashdown

Senior Lib-Dem sources accused the Chancellor of "dirty, underhand" politics in going behind the back of Sir Menzies Campbell to approach Lord Ashdown for the post of Northern Ireland secretary.

But Sir Menzies refused to criticise Mr Brown, claiming that he was not interested in "attaching blame" over the saga.

The Standard has learned that Lord Ashdown was offered the Cabinet post when he met the Chancellor in person at his office in the Treasury yesterday.

Lord Ashdown, who chairs the Northern Ireland parades commission and was brought up in the province, told Mr Brown he could not accept the job because Sir Menzies opposed the idea.

"I do as my commanding officer tells me to do and if he doesn't want me to do it, I won't do it,ī he told Mr Brown at the secret meeting. But Sir Menzies was coming under fire from his own MPs today, some of whom believe he was naive in agreeing to talk to Mr Brown at an earlier secret meeting, on Monday.

The Lib-Dem leader, who is a neighbouring MP to Mr Brown in Scotland, today refused to comment on whether the Chancellor had gone "behind his backī in speaking to Lord Ashdown.

"I'm only here to answer for myself," he told Sky News. "I'm not in the business of attaching blame to others one way or the other."

He insisted that both he and Lord Ashdown had acted "entirely properly and in the interests of the Liberal Democrats".

He said: "As far as I'm concerned, a proposal was put to me. It was put to me in a perfectly rational way. I considered it and I rejected it."

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In talks: Sir Menzies Campbell has discussed the possibility of teaming up with Labour

Lib-Dem sources said they felt increasingly as if Mr Brown had embarked on a "duplicitous" bid to destabilise their party. "It was a dirty, underhand piece of game playing," one said.

But there was further evidence of a split when Lib-Dem peer Lord Lester, who was also in the running for a job, suggested the talks had been leaked by the party's MPs who opposed cooperation with Labour.

As the party's spin doctors were claiming the Chancellor had tried to "stitch upī Sir Menzies, Lord Lester said: "This was not Gordon Brown dirty politics at allī.

Senior Lib-Dems are to hold an emergency federal executive meeting on Monday to discuss Sir Menzies's handling of the crisis. One official said there was widespread anger in the party at the leadership's "strategic incompetence".

"Ming has been hung out to dry by Gordon. It's been a tactical disaster," said the politician.

Allies of Mr Brown said they could not comment on "private discussionsī but sources close to the Chancellor insisted Mr Brown's offer to Lib-Dems of jobs in middle-ranking government posts was a genuine attempt to "break out of tribal politicsī and build a new government "of all the talents".

Sir Menzies had not flatly rejected the offer, it emerged. When Mr Brown raised the issue, he is said to have replied: "Interesting ideas."

Only after consulting top aides Lord Kirkwood and Ed Davey did Sir Menzies decide his party would not swallow the move.

The Chancellor postponed a Tuesday meeting with Sir Menzies and phoned Lord Ashdown, 66, personally with the job offer.

Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling was Mr Brown's link man in the negotiations.

Jobs were also floated for independent terror watchdog Lord Carlile and public health expert Lady Neuberger.

Lib-Dem Treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott denied reports he was approached.

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