Gordon Brown is hoist by his own petard

But it takes a rather better explanation than Mr Brown's assertion that "we are a sort of family in Downing Street" to do away with the effect of Alistair Darling's astonishing remark that he had been subjected to "the forces of Hell" by the Prime Minister's own aides. It is one thing for the head of a minor charity to assert that Downing Street staff say they are bullied; a very different matter for the Chancellor to suggest that Gordon Brown's aides had subjected him to intimidation through negative briefings to journalists.

Mr Darling denied that he had been bullied by Mr Brown, but he has already said enough to give fresh life to the arguments about Mr Brown's character. It was well known that Mr Brown, as Chancellor, allowed his aides to brief journalists against Tony Blair as Prime Minister; it is ironic that this proclivity continued when Mr Brown succeeded Mr Blair. It may yet contribute to his own undoing. The electorate is quite entitled to take the culture around Mr Brown into account when it judges his fitness for office. Certainly, the authority of Mr Darling is unquestioned; he has had a good recession and spoke the truth when he said the downturn would be severe.

But it is still far from certain that, come the election, the character of the Prime Minister will be decisive. What this latest row has done is to diminish the momentum behind Mr Brown's launch of his campaign and has contributed to the general impression of a disunited administration.

It will be difficult for Mr Brown to make his personality a trump card. Yet the election should be fought on the record of the Government, not Mr Brown's character. Had Labour achieved what it set out to achieve, it is safe to say that the issue of Mr Brown's temper would count for less.

The Met and Boris

When Boris Johnson stepped down as chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, it raised questions about the direction of the Met under this mayoralty. Mr Johnson, having effectively dispensed with the previous Commissioner, seemed to have little wish for hands-on engagement with policing himself — despite this being one of the few areas over which he does have authority.

His successor, Kit Malthouse, has now taken over his position as chairman of the Authority. Yet as we reported yesterday, Mr Malthouse has not attended any of the meetings of Metropolitan Police committees for the past 18 months, including the one dealing with neighbourhood policing and terrorism. His aides say that any crucial matters will come up before the full meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority. Yet it would have been right for Mr Malthouse to engage with the important issues that the committees handle.

The policing of London is an issue that has a real impact on people's lives; it was a crucial element of Mr Johnson's election campaign. Having made the policing of the capital a political matter by replacing Sir Ian Blair, he must ensure that his successor takes a hands-on and engaged approach to the role of chairing the MPA.

America in London

There is, inevitably, lively controversy over the merits of plans for the new US embassy building on the South Bank but it is still good news that the embassy will remain in London and will help revitalise an under-exploited area of Battersea. Americans on the Thames are a welcome sight.