As reports of a serious rift between Britain's political heavyweights circulated in the media, Downing Street yesterday praised the Chancellor, Mr Gordon Brown, for his successful stewardship of the economy.
Ever since the former Northern Ireland secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, re-ignited speculation about the relationship between the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, and Mr Brown in a BBC documentary at the weekend, Downing Street has tersely denied reports that the two cannot work together.
Dr Mowlam, the first former Cabinet colleague to comment publicly on their relationship, claimed their feuds, over the euro, the future of Railtrack and the budget, were "crippling government". And the former social security minister warned Mr Brown at the weekend to be "really careful" not to be dismissed from the cabinet because of his disagreements with the Prime Minister.
Brushing aside reports of a split, Mr Blair's spokesman said the stories appeared periodically "and we get used to that. It is a fact that the Chancellor and the Prime Minister work extremely closely together and their relationship is one of the greatest strengths of this Government."
The two are believed to have disagreed most recently over Mr Brown's policy of spending on "un-newsworthy" tax credits while Mr Blair wants to concentrate on the health and education.