The Labour Party is receiving letters asking for a leadership election to be held to depose Gordon Brown and install someone else [anyone else?]. One of these even came from a now ex-Vice Chair of the party. As it stands at the moment, this number stands at seven publically confirmed MPs, but that number is sure to rise.
But under Labour’s rules, they need 70 MPs to nominate someone other than Brown as leader in order to force an election.
And, as if to support this, an article published Progress, written by twelve back-benchers, including six former ministers, stating that under Brown Labour was suffering a “malaise” and had “no explanation yet” on what they would do to reinviagorate the economy. Just piling more pressure on the Prime Minister who only seems to be able to do re-launches.
What a time for a revolt. It is just a week until the Labour Conference is scheduled to start, when all eyes will be on Brown and his party - and if this is anything to go by, it’ll be quite a show they’ll put on for us.
These are supposed to form, accoring to Ben Brogan, the first in a series of events designed to force Brown from office.
However, as yet it does not appear that there is anyone who is set up behind this to try and wrest the power away from Brown. Not at least in the public eye, anyway. The field at first glance appears vast - David Miliband appears to be more than willing, Jack Straw is an obvious set of safe hands to take the reins for a short while, and I’m sure Harriet Harman would be more than happy to take the step up from her Deputy position. But according to the public, none of these are preferable choices.
No, a focus group is suggesting that the MPs to choose between are James Purnell and Jon Cruddas.
