IT HAS all been enough to make Tony Blair pale beneath his holiday tan. All summer the press has been awash with speculation about a series of “revelatory” new books written by former government diplomats and advisers.

Sir Jeremy Greenstock’s publishers have boasted that the former British United Nations Ambassador will denounce America’s decision to invade as illegitimate. Another forthcoming book by Sir Christopher Meyer, who was the British Ambassador in Washington until 2003, has left the media tingling with anticipation at the prosepct of him lifting the lid on the dark secrets in the special relationship.

If that was not enough, Sir Stephen Wall, formerly Britain’s chief representative in Brussels and Mr Blair’s European adviser, is also writing a book on government relations with the EU. And Lance Price, who used to be Alastair Campbell’s deputy communications chief in Downing Street, is hoping to publish the Spin Doctor’s Diary he kept whilst in No 10.

There have been breathless news stories about Mr Blair and Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, seeking to impose a gag on their former officials. Publication dates, it is said, are being timed to cause maximum impact by coinciding with the start of the party conference season this autumn. But there is a growing sense that such reports are more bark than bite.

Downing Street is undoubtedly worried, with the Prime Minister’s official spokesman betraying his frayed nerves on the subject as he attacked Anthony Seldon, Mr Blair’s unofficial biographer. Last weekend Mr Seldon wrote an article claiming that the skids were under Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, as well as alleging that the chances of a smooth transfer of power to Gordon Brown were diminishing.

The spokesman said that the article was plain wrong, before rubbishing claims that the author had been granted special access to Mr Blair’s inner circle. No 10 says it has been unable to trace anyone who had co-operated with him.

Meanwhile Sir Jeremy told The Times: “I’m not writing to be controversial. There has been a lot of comment in the press which does not reflect the truth. People are speculating wildly.”

Quotes attributed to the book, The Cost of War, this summer suggested that he would attack the legitimacy of the war and allege that negotiations in the UN “never rose above the level of awkward diversion for the US Administration”. He said yesterday that such claims are not sustained in the latest drafts, adding that they had been taken off a flyer distributed by his publisher in the US, which he had subsequently asked to be withdrawn.

Sir Christopher was similarly keen to play down expectations of his book, DC Confidential. “It is not even finished yet, I am just knocking off the last few chapters.” A projected mid-October publishing date will probably slip, he said.

Sir Stephen, who has been critical of Mr Blair’s European strategy since leaving Downing Street, is being ultra-cautious about his book, provisionally entitled A Stranger in Europe. His account will analyse the approach of governments to treaty negotiations, while touching on the sensitive issue of Iraq “only by way of illustrating how quickly issues can cause a parting of the ways”.

He has obtained permission from officials to use secret government archives and will, therefore, have to clear what he writes with them. But he added that, in any case, “I’m not really in the business of kiss and tell.”

Mr Price, who left Downing Street four years ago to live in France, said that he was still in negotiations with the Cabinet Office about his diaries. He was told this summer that publication was completely unacceptable because it would breach Civil Service rules of trust and confidentiality. His publishers say that a final decision may be made later this week. In the mean time Mr Price has vented his frustration by writing an entirely fictional novel about politicians, journalists, drug dealers and prostitutes.

Alastair Campbell, who could probably secure a seven-figure publisher’s advance for his own diaries, is also likely to disappoint sensation-seekers for some time yet. He has told friends that any book he might write would not appear until after Mr Blair has left Downing Street.

SPIN-OFFS

Sir Jeremy Greenstock
Ambassador to UN, special envoy to Iraq

Sir Christopher Meyer
Spin chief to John Major, Ambassador to Germany and US

Sir Stephen Wall
Ambassador to Portugal, No 10’s chief adviser on Europe

Lance Price
Deputy press secretary to Tony Blair

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