It’s over and Brown is safe. This, at least, is the verdict from the Commons bars from which I have just done a brief tour to sample the mood on behalf of Coffee Housers. One minister I spoke to – by no means a diehard Brown loyalist – whipped out a list of dissenters who had spoken at the meeting. He had jotted down the names by instinct. It kinda reminded me of that Judean People’s Front sketch where they read out the name of a rival group and shout “splitters!” It’s within Labour’s instincts. Sniff out and round on the minority faction. It’s what they do.
I haven’t spoken to anyone who claims Brown didn’t do well, nor anyone who thinks his survival is an issue. The atmosphere is one of relief from everyone. The Tories didn’t want an election this summer, Labour MPs can claim their salary for another 12 months and LibDems can work out what went wrong.
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