Howe now, Brown cow…
The reaction within the PLP to the loss in Crewe and Nantwich puzzles me. On the one hand, there have been few overt calls for Brown to go from those who really matter. Discontented backbenchers, yes, but there’s been no concerted move to remove (hah…) Brown in the 30 hours since the by-election. The most high-profile statements - from Margaret Beckett and Ai Desai - call for Brown to improve, rather than attack him outright. There has, in short, been no Geoffery Howe type ready to stand up and savage Brown with a parliamentary sheep.
On the other hand, the anonymous briefings against Brown have been hostile at best. This, from the Tool, is typical:
A senior minister said: “I’m not sure that Gordon can change. I think [his exit] is a decision that we’re all going to have to sit and think about very seriously over the next few weeks.”
Hardly a vote of confidence, is it? The contrast between the nameless mutterings scattered throughout the papers and the official cabinet line could hardly be more stark.
Interestingly, the Times article contains a hint of a challenge from a less expected area:
One source revealed that Stephen Carter, the Prime Minister’s right-hand man, appeared weakened by the episode. He “read the Riot Act” a fortnight ago against those using class-war tactics but was overruled by “elected politicians” around Mr Brown.
The discontent is there, and could be a problem for Brown. He wanted Carter to change his image. What would it say about Brown’s image if Carter walked out because he couldn’t do it?
Perhaps Brown opponents seek to undermine his remaining support in the PLP by splattering shady quotes all over the Saturday papers. They don’t have enough support in the party now, but if they pushed a little harder, they might gain it - and oust Brown.
They’d be mistaken to do so. As disastrous as Brown seems for Labour, getting rid of him could well be worse for them. With two PMs chosen outside of an election, the government would be on very shaky ground if it didn’t call a General Election soon afterwards. And, given current form, they’d probably lose quite badly, Brown or otherwise.
Of course, that might not be their intention at all. It’s still early, probably too much so to draw as much from the by-election as the media has tried to. But we’ll see…
Posted in: By-Elections, The New New Labour Project
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