The Glasgow-East by-election is going to dominate the news for the next few weeks. The Westminster Village has concluded that if Labour can’t hold its 25th safest seat under Gordon Brown then the Labour party will move to get rid of him. Although, The Guardian reports this morning that one cabinet member believes that Brown should be given one final chance after a possible defeat to try and connect, suggesting that there would be no challenge until late autumn.
In a sign of Labour discipline having broken down almost completely, tensions about the running of the campaign have already spilled into the press. The Telegraph reveals that there is concern in Labour circles that Harriet Harman might try and run the campaign from London. One minister tells The Telegraph that this would be a “recipe for disaster.”
But if the Mail is right, Harman is now positioning herself as a potential successor to Brown. Indeed, the one thing that might help Brown stay in place even if he loses Glasgow East is just how messy a contested leadership election would be.
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