A blistering German attack on Gordon Brown plunged London and Berlin into a bitter diplomatic row tonight. The Prime Minister was publicly slated for his handling of the recession in an extraordinary outburst by a senior aide to chancellor Angela Merkel. It was the second time in two days that a member of Germany's ruling coalition has broken with diplomatic convention to deliver a highly personal attack on Mr Brown's economic record.Steffen Kampeter, one of Miss Merkel's economic advisers, branded Britain's soaring debt levels a 'complete failure of Labour policy'. And he made clear Germany felt it was patronised by Mr Brown when he was Chancellor. The savage criticism left the two nations' governments scrambling to save their relationship from serious damage.
The apparently concerted attempt to belittle Mr Brown also risked making a mockery of his claim to be leading the global fight against recession. (Source: Daily Mail)
