I see that Blunkett’s memoirs are starting to appear in serialisation and already it seems that some interesting information is emerging…

Recalling his role in the war cabinet, he says: "I did two things, one that was good, and one that was not so clever. I asked rigorous questions to the point when Peter Mandelson said ‘Are you onside with Tony?’ and secondly I did not take enough notice because I was home secretary, and I did not argue enough about what we were doing presentationally about the dossiers. I just did not. There is no point pretending I did and I was right. I just did not." – The Guardian.

Is it just me or does the comment that ‘I asked rigorous questions to the point when Peter Mandelson said ‘Are you onside with Tony?’ appear to imply that Peter Mandelson, at that time a mere backbench MP after being sacked for a second time when the whole Hinduja passorts thing blew up in face, had a deeply intimate knowledge of the goings-on in the ‘War Cabinet’, as much as to suggest that he was either being extensively briefed, given access to minutes or even attending those meetings?

Funny, nothing like that was ever mentioned during the Hutton Inquiry?