PM Gordon Brown in front of a swastika
This may turn out to be an important and historically significant day.
The Parliamentary Labour Party has been urged by former cabinet ministers Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon to force a secret ballot on Gordon Brown’s leadership. We’re faced with the tantalising possibility that the Prime Minister may resign this evening.
Whether he does or not depends, of course, on his own assessment of the level of support that exists for him. The inertia and confusion within the party has protected him for long enough. Will enough MPs, fearing for their own seats, opt to replace the leader with someone more electable? One thing is relatively certain; the idea of a March election is now dead in the water.
David Cameron should now organise a show of tory MP support for his leadership, which would create the sort of dividing lines Gordon Brown really didn’t want.
UPDATE: Frank Field MP supports the ballot
UPDATE: Charles Clark MP supports the ballot
NB: Had the story before ConservativeHome 😉
