The calls for a leadership contest are certainly getting louder. (UPDATE, 1500) Earlier today, Fiona MacTaggart became the fifth Labour MP to confirm that they’ve asked for leadership nomination forms to be sent out. And the expectation is that more will follow, as this increasingly takes on the complexion of an attempted coup. Who might the discontents be? Here are a few key paragraphs from the Telegraph this morning:
“The Daily Telegraph understands that about a dozen Labour MPs, including several former senior ministers, have asked officials to provide nomination papers for a leadership contest at the party’s conference later this month.
They include Janet Anderson, Kate Hoey, Frank Field, George Howarth, Joan Ryan and Graham Stringer, all former ministers. Jim Dowd, a former whip, has also been involved in the operation, as has Lord Alli, the Labour peer. Former Cabinet ministers close to Tony Blair are also preparing to add to the pressure on Mr Brown with public interventions over the weekend.
Although no other members of the Government have requested nomination papers, several ministers have been involved in organising the coup attempt.”
Of course, all this leaves Brown’s relaunch – and his so-called “economic recovery plan” – in tatters. But I suspect the attempted coup represents a recognition that it was in tatters anyway. The previous wisdom was that the disgruntled backbenchers would hold off until November, to give Brown time to mount a recovery effort. But what have they seen so far? Housing and energy packages which are, to say the least, underwhelming – and which have been met with widespread scepticism from party, public and media alike. November or now, these measures aren’t going to rescue the economy nor increase Labour’s popularity. The plotters must simply be thinking: “why wait?”
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