Lib Dems furious at Brown's "dirty tricks"

Senior Lib Dems have angrily denounced Gordon Brown's recent overtures to leading members of their party. Paddy Ashdown has confirmed that Brown offered him a seat in the Cabinet as Northern Ireland Secretary.
A spokesman for Menzies Campbell, the Lib Dem leader, said today, "It is outrageous that Gordon Brown should try to trick us into joining the government. It was touch and go after the Scottish Parliament elections, but we avoided a coalition there, and we're damn well going to avoid doing anything of consequence here as well. "