The weakening of the New Labour coalition

As Martin says, the divide in the government right now is whether the right legislative response to the recession is to–in political shorthand– ‘ease the burdens on business’ or ‘protect workers more’. Today’s splash in The Times about Peter Mandelson’s plan to postpone the plans for more generous maternity leave and tougher equalities legislation which Harriet Harman has been pushing for, and were announced in the Queen’s Speech in December, shows that this debate is live not theoretical.

Stoking the tension is that everyone knows that, in the Labour leadership contest that would follow a defeat at the next election, those who are ‘on the side of workers’ will benefit. Harman’s positioning on this issue has been key to both her increasing popularity with the Unions and Labour members. Her internal opponents mutter bitterly about her irresponsibly playing to the gallery on this.

But the debate also reveals something fundamental about New Labour and its limits.