May 23, 2008
MP calls for cabinet challenge to Gordon
Just got off the phone with Graham Stringer, MP for Manchester Blackley, who has broken ranks and called for a (any) cabinet minister to challenge Gordon Brown for the Labour leadership.
If MPs know who might replace the prime minister it would make it easier to raise the 70 signatures required to start the process, he argues.
The system is stacked to make such a challenge difficult, he says. “Sneaking around trying to get 70 signatures would be a bit silly. We’re in a situation where it is almost impossible when you want a change to change things….I hope that any or some senior members of cabinet announce that they want to stand in a leadership election.”
There are now about 150 Labour MPs whose jobs look vulnerable in the wake of the Crewe defeat, he tells me. It is in their self-interest to challenge Brown, he says. “People are now fearful for their seats”. There was often discontent under Tony Blair, he admits, but that was different: “He was a winner”.
Ouch.
Labour MPs in traditional heartlands will probably be able to hold onto those seats if they present themselves as belonging to a traditional Labour bloc. New Labour has now become a toxic brand and holds zero appeal to the core Labour vote. The priority for Labour now has to be making sure that it shores up the bedrock of its traditional support. Changing leaders at this stage would mean an election and certain defeat, far better for the Labour party if it distances itself from the New Labour project and consolidates its natural areas of strength and moves strategy and policy forward from there.
Posted by: Tony Makara | May 23rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm | Report this commentIf Brown is Labours’ Major, can we be sure that Cameron isn’t the Tories’ Kinnock?
Posted by: Johnstone | May 24th, 2008 at 7:33 am | Report this commentGrief what a mess. I have never been a Tory but we need a change.
Posted by: Richard Hazelgrove | May 25th, 2008 at 8:07 pm | Report this commentJust for fun as I run a team building company www.teambuildingsouthern.co.uk I was looking at the Labour In fighting and trying to decide what team building event would help that bunch - Prescott, Blair, Brown - only one thing would do a good old murder mystery.