Gordon Brown has categorically denied accusations from Alastair Darling, that he suffered the “forces of hell” from the prime minister’s office, after issuing a gloomy warning about the severity of the recession in 2008.

Last night Alastair Darling participated in a detrimental interview in which he accused No. 10 spin doctors of briefing against him. However today an aide acting on behalf of Darling seemed to back-track on the assertions, saying that it was in no way meant to be a condemnation of Brown, and that he had never said it was Gordon Brown that influenced the treatment against him.

Meanwhile Gordon Brown, appearing on television this morning, said “I would never instruct anybody to do anything other than support my chancellor”. He added that Darling was a family friend and that they both had mutual respect for each other. He did admit though that he could be a harsh taskmaster, confessing he sometimes got angry at work, like anyone else.

As this all comes hard on the heels of accusations that Brown has bullied staff at Downing Street, which he also vehemently denies, Darling’s remarks appear to have been ill-timed, only adding fuel to the fire about the current speculation. For more on this story go to the guardian.co.uk. Do you think there is any truth in the allegations that Brown was involved in the campaign against Darling, or maybe you think that in most high-pressure working environments, this sort of thing is inevitable?