Is Brown preparing a purge of the Labour backbenches?

Peter Wilson

Despite McPoison going, I see also the briefings against potential challengers continues - with the article in the NOTW about Miliband and his 'luxury jet'

The Watcher

What a brilliant idea! Lets de-select everyone who has opposed us and give them nothing to lose by further rebellion!

If they do this, the de-selected will either;

1. Cross the floor to the Tories/LD's/SNP.

2. Stand as an independent against the Labour candidate and either win the seat a la Bleanau Gwent, or split the vote and let the opposition claim the seat or,

3. Make Brown's life a living hell for the remainder of the parliament and constantly rebel!

They really haven't got a clue have they???

David Boothroyd

This story is plainly wrong. For one thing, Bob Marshall-Andrews said in 2006 that he would be standing down; for another, Kate Hoey and Diane Abbott have both been reselected. For a third, the Chief Whip and the NEC don't have the power to order the deselection of MPs in the way suggested.

Denis Cooper

This is the reality of our "representative democracy" - long before constituents get to elect their representative in the Commons, the only candidates who have a chance of winning have been pre-selected by the cabals controlling their national parties, and then selected by local party groups.

If Brown decides that X will be de-selected, then X will be de-selected; and while X may still offer himself to the electors as a candidate in competition with the official Labour candidate, his chance of being re-elected is small.

An MP should fear his constituents, but that healthy fear is almost always outweighed by his unhealthy fear of the party leadership.

Pete Hoskin

David Boothroyd: yes, there are inconsistencies, which is why I started the post with a question. The Mail article does point out some of them, and has Kate Hoey citing her reselection.

Still, I wouldn't be too surprised if there is some sort of hit list, and if there is some sort of punishment planned for those names on it...

William Blakes Ghost

Bob Marshall-Andrews?

I thought he had already said he was standing down. It's a bit of a pointless exercise then isn't it.

But then most of what Brown does that isn't damaging to the country is pointless.......

SCot RichRDS

Excellent commentary at:

http://plonquer.blogspot.com

FYI: Hazel Blears is 4' 11" which is smaller than John Prescott

Simon

If this happens, they will find it impossible to win any Vote of No Confidence - so bring it on!

Mark

I think you'll find that the excellent Bob Marshall-Andrews is immune from all this. I beleive he is not standing this time and, even if he were, his seat is going to be won by the Tories - he accepted defeat in 2005!

More to the point, absent block votes from Unite (aka Charlie Whelan) how on earth could Brown influence local parties?

David Ossitt

"spokesman for Nick Brown," who denies that any such list exists.

So that confirms it then!

Verity

Nice, sharp piece, Pete. Thanks.

alex

Marshall andrews as in all likelihood lost his seat at the next election anyway. Good luck trying to deselect hoey or abbott: both could stand as independents and win.

paracelsus

And while he postures and preens, Rome continues to burn!

Is there no one who will stand up to this thug and do the decent thing for the sake of the country?

Nicholas

Current photographs of Brown are increasingly reminding me of Stanley Baxter in one of his more manic impressions.

strapworld

Brown is now a damp squid. IT is only the likes of you, Mr Hoskin, that continue to dish out the nonsense that he is a'bruiser'

The man is a bully-therefore a bloody coward. He lives by knifeing people in the back! getting his accolytes to do the dirty work for him -and denying he had anything to do with it if they are caught!

The man has no style whatsoever. He is an incompetent middle manager who has been seriously over promoted.
He knows he has been found out and still spews out the utter nonsense that it is everyone else but him. What a creature!

I tell you he would not last long out here in the real world.

So, He wont come back at them. Because he is finished!

Slim Jim

I wonder when there's going to be talk about another 'Brown bounce'? Or are the MSM going to continue doing what they should have done years ago and expose this political thug and bully for what he is? I like the photo - it looks like his medication has just peaked! Does the rest of the photo show him modelling a nice jacket with straps at the rear?

Moraymint

Take a look at the new Downing Street petition calling for Brown NOT to resign ... some interesting signatories LOL!

Victor, NW Kent

Bob Marshall-Andrews announced some while back that he will not stand for reelection.

Nick Brown might be prepared to do the deed but his master has not the guts to provoke a further row.

It should be noted that many of the 27 rebels on the Gurkha affair have been dissenters ever since Brown moved up. They have not had the Whip withdrawn so far.

In the same period Cameron has withdrawn the Whip from two MPs.

Steve

I thought Marshall-Andrews was stepping down at the next election anyway. Have I got that wrong? If he is, it makes the story seem doubtful.

Prodicus

Slurp.

Pete Hoskin

strapworld: calling Brown - or anyone in his gang, as I do above - a "bruiser," isn't meant to be complementary (you'll notice that I also used the word "nutcases").

Nor does it contradict anything you've written...

Vulture

Clearly the Bruin bullying machine is still twitching, hence the very rapid retraction by Hazel Muppet of her article. But, like a Mafia Don who's just lost his enforcer, Bruin's threats are a diminishing asset. Another point made by my (Lib Dem) MP yesty was that Liebour leadership rules are so arcane that there is no real way that Bruin CAN be replaced until the Party conference in autumn. He expects Bruin to hang on UNLESS
a delegation of Cabinet suits led by Postman Pat and Straw man ( presumably accompanied by some men in white coats for safety) goes to see him after a total debacle in the June polls and says 'Unless you go now we quit'. I'm afraid I don't think they have the balls
(or the Balls) to do that. They'll hang on, a bunch of blinking rabbits, as the headlights of General election nemesis bears down upon them

mac

A Boothroyd denial.
There must be something worrying here, then . . .

True Bred Pomponian

Bring on the no confidence vote and if there isn't quite a majority, offer to ensure that any MPs not re-elected will not get their expenses published.

jon dee

Never underestimate Brown's malevolence.

He did'nt get where he is today without practising revenge as a black art form.

Chuck Unsworth

@ David Boothroyd

What do you mean by "the Chief Whip and the NEC don't have the power to order the deselection of MPs"?

We all know that is not how things are done. It's the usual NuLab Old Boy Net. Nobody issues direct instructions do they? Wouldn't want to make things too attributable, eh?

strapworld

Mr Hoskin, I accept that. I apologise.

Leave Mr. Boothroyd alone. I have taken him to be old Labouir. that means a decent person who believes in the Labour Party of Keir Hardy etc. I am sure,in his heart, he must be mortified with the present situation.

Loyalty is to be admired.

TGF UKIP

In his current predicament what Gordon needs above all else is a cast iron causus belli to be able to mount an all out diversionary attack on the Tories.

Fortunately for him we can confidently expect one of the near-anonymous sleazy part-timers who call themselves the Shadow Cabinet to furnish him with one before too long.

Pete Hoskin

strapworld: no need to apologise! I probably should have been clearer in my post.

Alan Douglas

SCot RichRDS
May 3rd, 2009 12:58pm, says :

"FYI: Hazel Blears is 4' 11" which is smaller than John Prescott."

Are you saying she is smaller than a chipolata ?

Alan Douglas

Dee Endisnie

TGF UKIP

You are basically doing what this fag end of a government are going to do

"Clutch at Straws"

CAROL

For you fans of James Purnell at the Speccie, Julia Hartley Brewer has more (Iain Dale has the link) about his housing arrangements which should prompt questions about his honesty. Ironic for one supposedly clamping down on Welfare cheats.
On the other hand, is this a planted story by No 10? Who can tell these days?

Ray

Grief, that photograph is scary!

David Lindsay

The Government Whips’ Office has a hit list of twenty MPs whom it wishes to see deselected, since that sort of thing is no longer considered any business of local parties, such as there still are in any case. Indeed, in David Miliband’s South Shields constituency, even local council candidates are chosen by his London office, three hundred miles away.

Eight names are now in the public domain: Diane Abbott (Hackney North), Kate Hoey (Vauxhall), Glenda Jackson (Hampstead), Bob Marshall-Andrews (Medway), John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington), Marsha Singh (Bradford West), Paul Truswell (Pudsey) and Mike Wood (Batley and Spen).

The Whips appear not to know that Jackson has already been reselected, or that Marshall-Andrews has already announced his retirement. But the other six, together with the other twelve people on the hit list, should announce immediately their intention to defend their seats with or without the endorsement of the Labour Party. They would undoubtedly be successful, whereas several of them might not otherwise have been this time round.

Owen Morgan

It's interesting that the odious Nick Brown still needs to communicate with the human race via a spokesman. I recall the occasion, during the foot-and-mouth disaster, when Nick Brown, as the supremely inept boss of MAFF, introduced a press conference and left his civil servants to respond to the questions.

Ben Elford

Strapworld: Brown is now a damp squid.

I was under the impression that dampness was the natural state of the average squid.

David Ossitt

Ben Elford

Strapworld meant 'squib'.