Alistair Darling: Gordon Brown says briefings against ex-chancellor unfair

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has told the BBC's Today programme that any political briefings against the late Labour Chancellor Alistair Darling were "completely unfair".

Mr Brown hailed the "integrity" and "wise judgement" of Lord Darling following his death aged 70 this week.

Lord Darling is best known for steering the UK through the 2008 financial crisis in Mr Brown's government.

But the relationship became rocky after disagreements over economic policy.

In the summer of 2008 - and not long before the collapse of major banks that floored the global economy - Lord Darling warned of the worst financial crisis in decades.

This resulted in a backlash from those close to Mr Brown, with Lord Darling later remarking that the "forces of hell" had been unleashed on him.

Lord Darling also fell out with Mr Brown over the need for spending cuts after the significant increase in government borrowing during the financial crisis.

In an interview for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Brown said he did not "know much about" the political hits against Lord Darling.

In government, Mr Brown said, some people brief information to journalists "on your behalf who you don't even know the names of".

"So some of these things happen and you've got to apologise afterwards," Mr Brown said.

When asked if he had apologised to Lord Darling afterwards, Mr Brown said: "If there had been a briefing against him that was attributed to me, yes of course.

"It was completely unfair. And I never believed this surreptitious way of dealing with politics is in any way honest or something that can be defended at all. It's difficult."

Damian McBride was Mr Brown's spin doctor in Downing Street and recalled the incident in his book Power Trip.

He said Mr Brown was "incredulous" about his chancellor's warnings on the economy and they agreed to say he had been misquoted and misinterpreted.

"The idea that anyone was authorised by Gordon to do 'background briefing' against Alistair - or that anyone unleashed the attack dogs against him - is not only totally untrue, it wouldn't have made any sense.

"Now, I freely admit to several occasions when I did or said things without Gordon's knowledge or approval, so I can see people thinking it's not inconceivable I could have done some freelancing on this occasion, too.

"But if Gordon gave me a script and a set of marching orders, I followed them to the letter. I didn't add little private postscripts or give my own take."

Mr Brown said at one stage, he offered Lord Darling the role of foreign secretary but he refused it because he wanted to remain chancellor.

The former Labour prime minister said he did not think Lord Darling "got much credit" for shepherding the UK economy as half its banking system collapsed.

"Alistair deserves a huge amount of credit for the economy recovering so quickly after the fatal blows of the banking collapse so that by 2010 the economy was growing again," Mr Brown said.

You can hear the full interview with Gordon Brown on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday, or listen later on BBC Sounds