The former multi-party talks chairman, Senator George Mitchell, has described the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, as a "truly outstanding public servant", following criticism of her by a former press aide.
Mr Andy Wood, the former head of the Northern Ireland Information Service, said Dr Mowlam was "foul-mouthed and vindictive" in an article for the Sunday Times yesterday. Mr Wood, who left his post last year, claimed in the article "Life with Mo" that Dr Mowlam used "dirty talk, toilet talk, with a frequency which seemed to border on the compulsive, if not the obsessive".
Asked if he was aware of Dr Mowlam's reputation, Mr Mitchell was not surprised. He told Sky TV: "I know this about Mo Mowlam . . . I would be proud to have [her] working with me on anything I am involved in at any time."
The Northern Ireland Office issued a mild rebuke to Mr Wood last night saying his comments were unwelcome.