Bullying allegations against premier continue to mount

London: Gordon Brown was under fresh pressure over allegations of bullying last night after one of his senior aides described how he was roughly pushed aside by the British prime minister.

Stewart Wood, Brown's senior foreign policy adviser, revealed how he had been left feeling "pretty shocked" by his boss's violent behaviour.

Wood has also disclosed how the Prime Minister is "routinely rude" to his staff and admits that his behaviour is unacceptable. His version of events, which appeared in a newspaper on Sunday, casts doubt over Brown's denial that he has "never, never hit anybody".

Pushing

In an interview with Channel 4 News, the prime minister also claimed he had never "shoved" anybody. "No. I don't do these sorts of things," he said. However, Wood has made it clear that Brown did push him.

In a tape-recorded interview with author Suzie Mackenzie, who is writing an authorised biography of Brown, the Oxford don said: "I was standing at the top of the stairs at No 10.

"There was a reception for EU ambassadors and I was waiting with a one-pager [a one page-briefing note] to show him before he went in ... he was in a really bad mood.

"He walked up the stairs. And I leant forward and he went: ‘Outta my way' and he did that [Wood is said to have raised his arm in a strong, sweeping gesture imitating Brown's action], ‘get outta my way'. And just walked in ... smile on his face."