Beleaguered Browne took week off to 'refresh himself'

Defence Secretary Des Browne was last night forced to deny suggestions he took a week-long break from his job for health reasons.

Rumours over 56-year-old Mr Browne's health have been rife in Whitehall and the wider defence community after a bizarre performance on BBC Radio 4's Today programme last weekend.

Mr Browne was bumbling and bad-tempered when interviewed by John Humphrys, who savaged him over a High Court ruling that families of British soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan could sue the Government under human rights laws.

Days later, the Minister faced fresh pressure when leaked MoD documents released under the Freedom of Information Act suggested he had misled the Commons by claiming 15 Royal Navy sailors taken hostage by Iran last year had been in Iraqi rather than international waters.

Senior defence industry figures suggested the pressure on Mr Browne had led to him suffering from mental exhaustion and that he was ready to resign his tough dual roles of Defence and Scottish Secretary.

He is known to be angry that Prime Minister Gordon Brown forced him to accept both jobs, leaving him little, if any, free time to spend with his family.

One Government source said: "Des never wanted to be both Defence and Scottish Secretary. He hardly ever takes time off and even this week he has been working on papers at his home in Scotland while on his days off."

Speculation was fuelled further when Mr Browne failed to turn up for five regular surgeries on Friday and yesterday in his Kilmarnock and Loudon constituency in Ayrshire. Constituents were told he was absent for "personal reasons".

But a source close to Mr Browne insisted last night that he would be back at his desk at the MoD "first thing" tomorrow and carry out his full list of engagements.

The source said the Minister had been prescribed antibiotics three weeks ago to treat a chest infection, from which he had now recovered, adding that he was not suffering from any other illness.

Despite his chest infection, Mr Browne had, in the meantime, visited Iraq and attended a Nato conference in Bucharest, the Romanian capital.

According to a ministerial aide, Mr Browne decided to book a week off some time ago to 'refresh himself' during the parliamentary recess.

Labour officials in Scotland were unable to say how much notice Mr Browne had given that he was not going to appear at his weekend surgeries.

At Mauchline community centre – one of three surgeries cancelled on Friday – a frustrated constituent said: 'Usually Des arrives with his minders but not today. There was disappointment people didn't get to meet the main man.'

Mr Browne also failed to show up at two surgeries yesterday at Kilmarnock and Auchinleck.

A senior defence source said: "We who work with Des Browne in the military and the civil service reckon he is doing a good job in challenging circumstances. A lot of the criticism he gets is unjustified."