WESTMINSTER standards chief and Welwyn resident Sir Philip Mawer has been urged to investigate claims that Prime Minister Gordon Brown bullied members of his staff.

Tory leader David Cameron called on Sir Philip – the PM’s independent adviser on ministerial interests – to act after the bullying claims emerged in a book by political commentator Andrew Rawnsley.

In his book, Mr Rawnsley alleges the premier swore at staff, grabbed them by the lapels and threw objects at them.

It was also revealed this week that “three or four” people from Mr Brown’s office had contacted the National Bullying Helpline for advice.

The PM himself said the story was “completely wrong”.

However, Mr Cameron described the affair as an “unseemly mess” and said: “I’m sure that Number 10 Downing Street and the civil service in some way will want to have some sort of inquiry to get to the bottom of what has happened here.

“One way for that to happen is for Sir Philip Mawer, who is in charge of policing the ministerial code, to be asked to look into this and to find out what has been happening and get to the bottom of it.”

Married Sir Philip, 62, took up his current post in January 2008 after serving as the Parliamentary commissioner for standards.

During nearly six years in the role, he investigated a number of complaints about MPs, including high-profile investigations into the affairs of former Home Secretary David Blunkett and Respect MP George Galloway.

was last called into action in May 2009 when he was asked to investigate the parliamentary expenses of the then justice minister Shahid Malik.