Brown’s Praetorians close ranks

Ben Brogan, one of the most plugged-in journalists in Westminster, has a great scoop about a Brownite whipping operation which bypasses Geoff Hoon, the chief whip, and reports directly to the PM. Now, as Ben points out, Hoon has actually been quite successful as chief whip. This suggests to me that the real reason for the move is that the PM and his most loyal supporters believe they can no longer rely on Hoon; they fear that he will put the good of the party above that of the leader.

Hoon is mentioned in nearly every possible scenario for how Brown might be deposed. So in some ways it is not surprising that there are jitters about him among the Brownites. But cutting him out of the loop like this seems a sure-fire way to put distance between him and Brown. If Labour do lose Glasgow East, keep a very close eye on Hoon—Brown’s praetorians will.