Just what did Lord Mandelson say to the News International chief executive, Rebekah Brooks (née Wade) when he learned that the Sun was dumping Labour? Brooks attempted to organise a meeting with Gordon Brown hours after his conference speech yesterday, but Mandelson stepped in, fearing the worst. He phoned up Brooks on a bad phone line and demanded to know if she wanted the meeting to tell Brown that the Sun was going to ditch Labour. Brooks confirmed it was. But what was the peer's reaction? NI sources suggest Mandelson said: "You have made total cunts of yourselves". Mandelson's explanation: "The phone line was bad, I said chumps."
