The growing power of new 'deputy PM'

SINCE his shock return to the Cabinet last year, Lord Mandelson of Foy and Hartlepool appears to have accumulated even more influence over the Labour Government than he did under Tony Blair.

Nominally Business Secretary, his advice and power is so extensive that many in Westminster and Whitehall refer to him casually as the "Deputy Prime Minister". One clear sign of Lord Mandelson's political reach is the fact he sits on 33 out of the 39 Cabinet committees which determine government policy, more than any other minister. The Chancellor sits on only 22 such committees, while Harriet Harman - despite being deputy Labour leader - sits on 14.

The mood and shape of Cabinet meetings has been "transformed" since Lord Mandelson's comeback and he will often dominate, setting out how the Government can outflank the Tories on a range of issues. One young Blairite minister says many still "look on in awe" at Mandelson's interventions and his close relations with the Prime Minister. Mr Brown frequently asks his former foe to stay behind after the Tuesday meeting for further talks. Colleagues say Lord Mandelson phones the premier at 7am every day - and frequently rounds the day off with another chat.

Civil servants as well as ministers have to heed the fact that he has a direct line to the PM. On Lord Mandelson's first day at the new Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, his officials were tearing their hair out that he "went missing" for five hours. It turned out that he was with Mr Brown.

Within weeks, Mandelson was making his presence felt, from the decision to save hundreds of post offices from closure to engendering fear among Tory frontbenchers. But some ministers and MPs feel his influence is now a malign one, from his moves to protect business from anti-smoking regulation to a spat with Ms Harman over extending maternity rights. His approach to the foreign workers row in Lincolnshire caused unease in No10 and Mr Brown had to help stitch up a deal to defuse it.

Unable to conceal disdain for certain Labour backbenchers, perhaps Lord Mandelson's biggest problem is that he is no longer in the Commons. When he addressed a PLP meeting last month to tell the party there was "light at the end of the tunnel", some MPs left feeling he was bland and unimpressive. Others spat his name with accompanying expletives.