Poor Darling on course for winter of discontent

The disasters that have marked Darling's tenure at the Treasury would be enough to finish off many ministers. Inept handling of the worst banking crisis in a generation and the exposure of 25 million families to a serious threat of fraud rank highly on the political calamities scorecard; many ministerial resignations have been forced over less. For all of this, it was seeing Darling's and Lamont's names appear in the same sentence in many newspapers that sealed his fate for me.

Norman Lamont was the worst Chancellor of the Exchequer since the war - no mean feat among such exalted company as Jim Callaghan and Anthony Barber. To be compared with Lamont is the political kiss of death and that is precisely where Darling now finds himself. The parallels are slightly uncanny. Lamont became John Major's Chancellor following Major's own stint at the Treasury and subsequent elevation to the premiership. Similarly, Darling finds himself as Gordon Brown's successor.

Whatever Tony Blair might have thought of his neighbour in his 10 years at at the helm, he would never have had to worry about him screwing up. Brown's term as Chancellor will go down as one of the most successful in modern history and the now-Prime Minister must wonder what disaster will come tumbling out of 11 Downing Street every time Darling opens the door.

It is quite reasonable to have some sympathy with him over the missing child benefit records. It beggars belief that the most junior staff member has access to such records and could contemplate sticking them on a CD and handing them to a motorcycle messenger. As a minister you must hope simply that the staff members employed in the department you are responsible for have a few grey cells and a modicum of common sense between them.

Northern Rock is a different matter. Darling has dealt with this crisis in the wrong manner almost from the start. There has been too little action too late, all compounded by a critical lack of awareness of the wider implications (I really believe that the Treasury, Bank of England and Financial Services Authority thought they could keep Northern Rock isolated from the rest of the sector). Worst of all has been the failure of nerve in pursuing the only real solution left - nationalisation.

His position hangs by a thread and it will not take very much more to break it.

- David Worsfold, Secretary, All Party Group on Insurance and Financial Services.