OF COURSE, there was only story on anyone’s lips – “Bigotgate”, Gordon Brown’s potentially career-destroying comments on the Rochdale widow he met on the campaign trail.

While most people hearing the Prime Minister’s words – “She's just a sort of bigoted woman . . . ” – wondered if they would hand the No.10 keys to David Cameron, I had to admire Charlie Whelan’s alternative view.

Mr Brown’s brass-necked former spin doctor tweeted: “Calm down. Who has not let off steam under stress and strain of campaign. He's apologised – move on.” Er, I don’t think so, Charlie.

Rival politicians did not rush to the microphones to condemn Mr Brown, preferring to allow the words alone to convict him, but William Hague was not so shy.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary delighted in proclaiming: “Met lots of well-informed fair-minded voters in Barrow-in-Furness switching from Labour . . . and not a bigot among them!”

There was little consolation for suicidal Labour strategists, listening to the car-crash recording of the incident, but at least 65-year-old Gillian Duffy did not defect.

Having described herself as a lifelong Labour voter, with a completed postal ballot waiting by her front door, a cross next to her Labour candidate, Mrs Duffy – unsurprisingly – said she would not be posting it.

But it could have been worse. She vowed she would not be voting for anyone, so at least she isn’t switching to the Tories or Lib-Dems. The best Labour could hope for.

The episode also appeared to shine a spotlight on the amateurism of the Labour campaign, a constant theme since Mr Brown paid his visit to Buckingham Palace.

Many were asking how on earth the Prime Minister’s aides – having kept him away from unpredictable voters and media scrums because they feared such an incident – then allowed him to wear a Sky microphone back into his car?

The word was that, in previous elections, Tony Blair specifically allowed only Labour mics – to avoid just such a disaster.

The best joke when Mr Brown arrived back at Mrs Duffy's house was that he had taken her for a drink at her local pub.

It was open mic night, apparently.