Iain Martin – who’s been blogging has been splendid lately – is right: the Tories should be worried that Labour might unseat Gordon Brown and fight the next election under new leadership. It’s hard to see how even this could win the election for Labour, but at the very least it might limit the losses the party can otherwise expect next summer.
In fact Labour would be well-advised to get rid of Brown after the European elections next month, replace him with someone such as Alan Johnson or even, god help us, Jack Straw and promise to hold an election in October this year. Since there’s little advantage in carrying on with Broon to the Bitter End it would be better to lance the boil now and be done with it. A new leader might not win, but he might not be hated and the subject of ridicule as Brown is.

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