Off Whitehall

Derek Scott was economic advisor to Tony Blair in Downing Street between May 1997 and December 2003, having also worked with him since 1994 when Blair became Leader of the Opposition.

BBC News: "Mr Scott was the prime minister's economics adviser until last December and is well-placed to give an insider's account of the links between the Treasury and Downing Street." The Guardian: "...the first time that a member of the prime minister's circle has publicly spelt out the tension between the two architects of New Labour." The Prime Minister (06/07/04 - speaking on BBC Radio 2) "If you want to sell the book, you have to have something that is inflammatory in it." The Chancellor: (13/07/04 - speaking on BBC Radio 4) "He's got a responsibility to make his book accurate or I've got a responsibility to tell the truth about what actually happened." The Chancellor's Spokesman (28/06/04) "This deliberate peddling of lies and distortions ... is deliberately designed and orchestrated to put the Treasury in a bad light and will not be tolerated." "Lucid, penetrating and fair minded... No one has had a better vantage point to assess the practical issues surrounding the UK replacing the pound with the euro and the assessment of the political and economic implications of the EU Constitution could not be more timely." -Lord Owen, Foreign Secretary 1977-1979 "From his unique vantage point in the heart of Downing Street, Derek Scott has produced a penetrating analysis of the politics and economics of the euro. This is a very important book." -David Smith, Economics Editor Sunday Times "A tour de force, of obvious appeal to euro sceptics but also calculated to make pro-Europeans think hard about the economics of the single currency." -William Keegan, The Observer "Derek Scott's book is a brilliant insight into the government's secret internal debate on the single currency and the European Constitution and, more important, the struggle between the two most powerful politicians in the land, over what Tony Blair describes as "the biggest issue facing Britain this century." Essential reading." -Trevor Kavanagh, Political Editor, The Sun