Brown's pedestal grows increasingly shaky

Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt, two senior Labour politicians, today called on the cabinet to support a party vote on Brown's leadership. The outcome of this remains uncertain; despite deep division throughout the lower echelons of the party on Brown's leadership qualities, the cabinet have thus far been supportive. Education secretary Ed Balls have said Hoon and Hewitt do not represent "the vast majority of Labour members" and the chief whip Nick Brown has stated there is "no significant support" for the Hoon/Hewitt initiative. Culture secretary Andy Burnham has also signalled his support for the beleaguered prime minister.

However, one prominent Labour member has signalled her support for the initiative.  Former minister Janet Anderson called for a ballot "as soon as possible". "There are concerns both among Labour MPs and party members and we need to get it cleared up," she said. At the moment, however, most of Labour's heavy hitters are siding with Brown.

Perhaps most interesting, however, is the lukewarm statement released by Labour's first secretary of state Peter Mandelson.  "No one should over-react to this initiative. It is not led by members of the government. No one has resigned from the government. The prime minister continues to have the support of his colleagues and we should carry on government business as usual." As Labour's spinner-in-chief, Mandelson is perhaps simply trying to play down the crisis. However, it is a stark contrast to his full blooded declaration of support for Brown on June 6 2009 after the resignation of James Purnell from the cabinet. 

"I've never been a sycophant towards Gordon," said Mandelson then. "It's because of his personal qualities, his understanding of the big picture, that I support him now. I am sorry that he sometimes appears a bit rough or idiosyncratic but I would rather have someone with brains than someone who is showy but has no substance." Such praise has not yet been forthcoming. Perhaps Mandelson, dubbed Prince of Darkness by the British press for his seeming political invincibility, has seen which way the tide is turning.

For the Conservative party, whose election bandwagon has faltered slightly in the past month, this leadership debate is a gift. Tory chairman Ed Pickles stated earlier today that "it's irresponsible to have such a dysfunctional, faction-ridden Labour Party running the country...the only responsible thing the Government can do is call a general election." His statements will undoubtedly be echoed by his fellow Tories as their election bandwagon seeks renewed traction.

Whether Brown can retain his flimsy grip on his throne remains unclear. What is clear, however, is that the Labour party seems to be flitting from crisis to crisis and and divisions in the party will have to be resolved before the general election.

The full text of Hoon and Hewitt's letter to the British cabinet calling for a leadership election, courtesy of Guido Fawkes:

Dear Colleague,

As we move towards a General Election it remains the case that the Parliamentary Labour Party is deeply divided over the question of the leadership. Many colleagues have expressed their frustration at the way in which this question is affecting our political performance. We have therefore come to the conclusion that the only way to resolve this issue would be to allow every member to express their view in a secret ballot.

This could be done quickly and with minimum disruption to the work of MPs and the Government. Whatever the outcome the whole of the party could then go forward, knowing that this matter had been sorted out once and for all.

Strong supporters of the Prime Minister should have no difficulty in backing this approach. There is a risk otherwise that the persistent background briefing and grumbling could continue up to and possibly through the election campaign, affecting our ability to concentrate all of our energies on getting our real message across.

Equally those who want change, should they lose such a vote, would be expected by the majority of the PLP to devote all of their efforts to winning the election. The implications of such a vote would be clear – everyone would be bound to support the result.

This is a clear opportunity to finally lay this matter to rest. The continued speculation and uncertainty is allowing our opponents to portray us as dispirited and disunited. It is damaging our ability to set out our strong case to the electorate. It is giving our political opponents an easy target.

In what will inevitably be a difficult and demanding election campaign, we must have a determined and united parliamentary party. It is our job to lead the fight against our political opponents. We can only do that if we resolve these distractions. We hope that you will support this proposal.

Yours fraternally,

Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt