Jowell: Sorry for Campbell spin era

An extraordinary apology from New Labour for forfeiting the public's trust was issued by one of Tony Blair's closest Cabinet allies today.

In an unprecedented mea culpa, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell confessed the Government was guilty of over-spinning policies, being "obsessive", and of failing to listen or show "candour, flexibility and kindness".

Her intervention, as a new poll showed Mr Blair's personal trust rating has plummeted, was seen to signal a campaign ahead of the Labour conference to win back support by admitting mistakes.

Ms Jowell warned: "Just saying sorry now and doing nothing different will not do."

In a striking passage, she repudiated the "overzealous" spin culture associated with Mr Blair's outgoing director of communications, Alastair Campbell. "We made repeat announcements of the same initiatives," she said. "We favoured some journalists; we briefed anonymously; we were insufficiently respectful to Parliament."

She also effectively admitted ministers had massaged facts, saying some had been "giving the best statistic while holding back the less good".

There was no doubt at Westminster that Ms Jowell's message, in an article for the New Statesman magazine, had been agreed with Downing Street.

But it is not the first time Labour has tried to shed its reputation for spin, and Ms Jowell warned: "This has to be a change of substance, not of presentation."