Scrawl is revealed: Brown note 'shows his character'

Last updated at 16:39 27 November 2006


Gordon Brown is often passionate in debate — but this sample of his handwriting suggests he has gone over the top.

The jagged scrawl, left, was made in marker pen over a report and hurled across the Dispatch Box at shadow chancellor George Osborne the last

time they clashed in the Commons.

Today, Mr Osborne turned the tables by throwing it back — complete with a handwriting analysis by a professional graphologist.

The results are either highly revealing about the likely next Prime Minister or, perhaps, deeply libellous.

According to the expert, a member of the British Academy of Graphology who has not been named, the words reveal that Mr Brown is, unsurprisingly, "not shy".

More intriguingly, the analyst said: "The writer shows unreliable and poor judgment. The writer was not in control of their emotions and instincts at the time of writing.

"There are signs that the writer is someone who does not like to give a clear cut image of himself. There are signs that the writer can be evasive."

Some of Mr Brown’s message is too spidery to be read. He was trying to highlight Mr Osborne’s refusal to distance himself from tax and spending

cuts and scribbled what he thought the shadow chancellor should say: "I’m ruling this out as Govt policy..."

Below that, are words that related to the debate, including "pensions", "insurance" and "shares".

The expert admitted there was not enough material

to carry out a proper analysis. It is not the first time that Mr Brown’s handwriting has revealed his combative streak.

Two years ago, someone leaked the paper on which he and Tony Blair agreed by fax the terms of their infamous Granita pact.

Mr Brown’s copy showed key words had been underlined ferociously.

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