'Shallow' Blair and 'moody' Milburn

The Prime Minister is no great political thinker - he is "a broad river that runs shallow".

The less-than-warm verdict came today from one of Tony Blair's closest business allies - and big Labour Party backer - Lord Haskins in a scathing tour of the Government.

Health Secretary Alan Milburn "has a terrible reputation for being moody and quick-tempered". Home Secretary David Blunkett needs watching "like a hawk", and his recent anti-terrorism Bill was "a disgrace". Lord Birt, Mr Blair's "blue-sky" thinker on crime and transport, is "not really my cup of tea".

Lord Haskins, former boss of Northern Foods and Express Dairies, is himself head of Mr Blair's Better Regulation taskforce overseeing utility watchdogs and red tape. He says he likes Mr Blair: "He's a charming fellow. He wins elections. He thinks there's more to life than politics." But adds: "Blair's mistake has always been that he wants everyone to love him. I think he has grown out of that a bit now."

His comments in today's New Statesman also threaten to embarrass Leader of the Commons Robin Cook. He recalls Mr Cook saying before the 1997 election: "The difference between John Smith and Blair was that Smith was a narrow river that ran deep, and Blair a broad river that ran shallow. I thought that was an interesting analogy - something in it."

There have been suggestions Chris Haskins, created a peer after Labour came to power, might be soured because his most recent taskforce report was spurned by the Treasury and Department of Trade and Industry. But he praises Chancellor Gordon Brown on most issues.

Lord Haskins adds: "Blair is not a big political thinker. That's the difficulty. He's not interested in delivery. But he instinctively knows over-regulation produces undesirable consequences, and nobody else really does believe that, apart from the Treasury."