The pursuit of a "fairness agenda" was the price demanded by Gordon Brown for stepping aside from the Labour leadership following the death of John Smith, it emerged last night.

The first written record of the tortured negotiations between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as both considered running for the leadership of the party appears in several newspapers today.

The note is said to have been prepared by Peter Mandelson at his home in Hartlepool the day after Blair and Brown dined at the Granita restaurant in Islington. It went through several drafts.

The document shows that Gordon Brown insisted on a "fairness agenda" focusing on "social justice, employment opportunities and skills" when Labour won power.

The six-paragraph account shows that Tony Blair had said he was "in full agreement" with the chancellor's aims. But Brown personally crossed out the phrase, substituting the words "has guaranteed this will be pursued".