Click here for extracts one, two, three and four

Alastair Campbell was always going to do whatever he could to maximise the publicity surrounding the publication of his book.

But Labour loyalist that he professes to be, he was also always going to dish the dirt while claiming not to be damaging his party.

He chose the revelation that Tony Blair considered pre-announcing his resignation in 2002 to whet appetites ahead of tomorrow’s publication, safe in the knowledge that it is a story with no political ramifications at all.

For more populist outlets he has included his account of flirting with the “spell-binding, drop-dead gorgeous” Diana, the late Princess of Wales, in extracts published on his website earlier today.

Of Gordon Brown, and the many furious rows between the current Prime Minister and Tony Blair, there is not a word. Mr Campbell said that he did not intend to hand David Cameron “a gold mine to use against the new Labour Prime Minister”.

Despite such discretion, he is braced for an inevitable barrage of criticism. Mr Brown professed himself magisterially uninterested, saying he didn’t intend to read diaries. And in a clear dig at Mr Campbell he said that those in public duties should be too busy to keep diaries.

“The job is more important than the rumour, or the gossip, or the commentary about the past,” said the PM.

The former spin doctor will know that Mr Brown is right. The “job” has moved on.

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