Claims by The Times that Gordon Brown drew on speeches from American politicians for his first conference leader’s speech were described as garbage by one of his Cabinet allies.

Andy Burnham, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, went even farther and suggested that the newspaper was acting as the tool of an increasingly desperate Opposition. He was reacting to research by Times Online’s Comment Central, which found rehashed phrases from Bill Clinton and Al Gore in Mr Brown’s conference address this week.

Further research by The Times yesterday uncovered more similarities between Mr Brown’s speeches and those delivered by a generation of top American Democrat politicians.

Bob Shrum, now one of Mr Brown’s close advisers, also ran their campaigns, although Labour has strongly denied that speeches were recycled.

In June the Prime Minister addressed the special party conference that elected him leader. Its structure and theme as well as words bear comparison with the speech that John Kerry gave three years earlier after being accepted as Democratic presidential candidate. Mr Kerry, a Vietnam War hero, came on stage and announced that he was “reporting for duty”. When Tony Blair dramatically introduced his successor to the Manchester conference,Mr Brown strode out to say that he was “ready to serve”.

The second paragraph of each address makes a patriotic reference to “our country”. Mr Kerry begins: “We are here tonight because we love our country.” Mr Brown starts: “I accept the privilege and the great responsibility of leading our party and changing our country.”

Both move quickly into childhood reminiscences, with each man describing how his parents “taught me” the values he would bring to politics.

Mr Shrum, a speechwriter, worked on presidential campaigns for Mr Kerry and John Edwards in 2004, Mr Gore in 2000, Michael Dukakis in 1988 and George McGovern in 1972. All lost. He briefly worked for Jimmy Carter’s successful 1976 campaign.

Mr Brown said in his acceptance speech in June: “We will meet the challenge of change.” President Carter put the same phrase at the core of his address to the 1988 Democratic Convention as he endorsed Mr Dukakis as candidate.

Mr Brown told conference this week: “This is my pledge to the British people: I will not let you down.” Mr Gore said in his 2000 nomination speech: “I pledge to you tonight: I will work for you every day and I will never let you down.”

No 10 sources said that no action had been taken to warn Mr Shrum to avoid any similarities in future between Mr Brown’s speeches and those by Americans for whom he had worked. “Gordon wrote the speech – it is a simple as that,” a source said. “There is no need for any action.”

Daniel Finkelstein, who edits Comment Central, was a speechwriter for William Hague as Tory leader. Mr Burnham said that the British people would never respond to the “politics of insidious underhand smears”.

Caroline Spelman, chairman of the Conservative Party, said last night: “It is ridiculous that Gordon Brown should try and deny his actions by blaming the Conservatives for his mistake. It is up to him to own up or prove The Times wrong, not attempt to deflect attention away from his actions in this way.”

A leading article in The Times today says: “That Mr Brown’s minions, having been caught out, should try to smear The Times and its journalists was even more surprising and far from the behaviour of the statesman that he clearly aspires to be.”

Another Brown speech: more similarities

“My conviction that everyone deserves a fair chance in life”
Gordon Brown in his leadership acceptance speech, June 2007
“Everyone, and I mean everyone, deserves a fair chance”
John Edwards, Democratic vice-presidential candidate, 2004

“I will, as our party has always done, heed and lead the call of change . . . we will meet the challenge of change”
Gordon Brown, June 2007
“My fellow Democrats, our party is best equipped to meet the challenge of change because we are the party of change”
Jimmy Carter, Democratic Convention, 1988

“The new Government I will lead belongs to you”
Gordon Brown, June 2007
“Government, this democracy, does not belong to that crowd of insiders in Washington and their lobbyists; it belongs to you” John Edwards, 2004

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