RELATIONS between Birkenhead MP Frank Field and social security minister Harriet Harman are the talk of Whitehall, said 'The Sunday Times', on the eve of the annual Labour Party conference in Brighton.

The Birkenhead MP's radical schemes to shake up benefits as minister for welfare reform are said to be responsible for the 'chalk and cheese' relationship.

"Everyone knows that Frank has a direct line to Downing Street and Harman hates that," says one insider.

'Daily Mail' political pundit Simon Heffer wrote on Saturday, under the headline Hopeless Harriet must back fearless Frank, or go':

"Frank Field is one of the great original thinkers of the Labour movement. Mr Blair has said things cannot go on as they are. Mr Field was sent to the DSS with the leader's express order to think the unthinkable. Now he has thought it, he finds in his way a great obstacle in the shape of Harriet Harman, the Social Security Secretary and Mr Field's boss.

"Ms Harman is lucky to have a job at all. She is said to be jealous of both Mr Field's intellect and grasp of the issues, and his knack of commanding positive newspaper headlines. Welfare reform is one of the most crucial tasks Mr Blair has to undertake. The Green Paper must be published soon and Mr Field must lead the debate."

Other national newspapers speculate that Field will not be giving a speech on his reforms this week at Brighton.

Mr Field also faced a demonstration over his plans at his Friday night surgery at Birkenhead Town Hall. Groundswell, the national network against the Job Seekers Allowance, sought him out as Social Welfare Minister.

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