According to Steve Richards today, Labour figures have given Brown until this autumn to improve the party’s position or they’ll ditch him. Hm. Hasn’t Brown been threatened with these kinds of utlimatums before? Oh yes:
The Sunday Telegraph, 20 April, 2008
“The Prime Minister, who is battling a growing rebellion over his abolition of the 10p tax rate, has been given until the end of the summer to turn things round by backbenchers angry at a string of image and policy failures.” (here)
The Telegraph, 24 May, 2008
“It is that Mr Brown be given until the end of July to prove himself and restore morale. If by then things have not improved, ministers, MPs and influential figures in the unions believe the only solution may be to send a delegation of his closest political friends – perhaps including Ed Balls, the Education Secretary, and Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary – to urge him to go.”

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