David Cameron 'has a fierce temper too'

Gordon Brown is not the only party leader with a tendency to blow his top. The Financial Times continues its four-part series on David Cameron today , and George Parker quotes several (unnamed) sources who tell him the Conservative leader has a quick temper. One Tory staffer says: I've seen him go nuclear. It was the ferocity of the language that surprised people. Another staff member says: He has high standards and expects the best. He won't accept substandard work. A "long-serving aide" says: In his first six months as leader, he used to lose his temper a lot more than he does now. And someone else who has worked closely with Cameron says: He does have a quick temper, but it doesn't last long – he will always apologise 10 minutes later. The article is worth reading in full. Parker has spoken to plenty of Tories – most of whom aren't named – and a few of them are quite scathing about Cameron. Their comments include: "only interested in policy to the extent it helps to get him elected", "you never get the idea he might have any ideas of his own", "not a nerdy policy wonk", "more rightwing than people think" and "the coldest individual I have met ... ruthlessly ambitious". Generally, these verdicts sound quite harsh. But I can remember almost exactly the same comments being made about Tony Blair – and he did quite well when it came to winning elections.