Mandelson lands new key role

Fresh details emerged today of the powerful new role handed by Tony Blair to the former Cabinet minister Peter Mandelson as Labour begins to gear up for the next election.

The Prime Minister sparked a row within Labour ranks after appointing Mr Mandelson, who twice had to resign from his Cabinet, as chief of strategic planning.

Mr Mandelson will be present at a key planning meeting at Westminster looking forward to the election this week, probably tomorrow.

Also present will be Mr Blair's pollster Philip Gould and Leslie Butterfield, the chairman of the advertising agency BDDH, a Labour donor who has advised on numerous campaigns.

No ministers will be at the session, however, in a move which has sparked resentment inside the Cabinet.

Mr Mandelson was at a similar meeting last Friday, again with none of Mr Blair's ministerial team invited.

A few weeks ago he took over a strategy meeting at Mr Blair's country retreat, Chequers, after the Prime Minister had to leave the gathering after just 10 minutes.

Mr Mandelson was a key adviser in last week's much-trumpeted Downing Street shake-up which was claimed to herald the "death of spin".

He lobbied hard for the former senior Labour official Matthew Taylor, 42, to be given the crucial job of writing Labour's election manifesto - an appointment which has now been made.

Mr Mandelson's remarkable comeback has come as Mr Blair has faced his worst political crisis since coming to power, over the death of scientist Dr David Kelly, and has left Gordon Brown, who traditionally takes charge of the day-to-day running of Labour's election campaign, risking looking sidelined.