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John Hutton has admitted that he was the cabinet minister who told the BBC Gordon Brown would be a disaster as prime minister.
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4's PM programme, the former defence secretary owned up to telling the broadcaster's political editor Nick Robinson in 2006 that Brown would be an "effing disaster" if he replaced Tony Blair in Downing Street.
"I did say it, yes, I did, let's get it over with," he said. "There's no point me denying that I didn't have very serious concerns."
He had previously avoided questions over whether he was responsible for the incendiary remarks.
But the Barrow and Furness MP, who resigned from the cabinet in June, said his opinion of Brown had changed after he worked with him as defence secretary.
"My opinion has changed of Gordon. I think he has, and certainly all of his dealings with me, has shown nothing but a great deal of support and help during my time as a minister," he said.
"I personally have no criticisms of Gordon's performance as prime minister at all.
"He's been a tremendously hard-working man who has really put his heart and soul into it."
Appearing on the BBC Six O'Clock News on September 7, Robinson caused flurry of speculation in Westminster when he reported that an unnamed cabinet minister had told him: "It would be an absolute 'effing disaster if Gordon Brown was PM, and I'll do anything in my power to 'effing stop him."
The blistering attack on the man set to become the next leader of the Labour Party and prime minister laid bare the divisions between the Blairite and Brownite camps of the party.
Hutton, who is due to step down from Parliament at the next election, said that he made the comments in a period of "high emotion" during a difficult time for the party.
“I don’t think that was really a period of history in our party that any one of us should look back with any sort of pride about,” he said.
“It was a very, very low point for us. Everyone who was involved in those machinations ... I think they should hang their heads in shame. I think it was a very miserable period for us."
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