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'This is my time, says Harman in leader bid'
Joe Murphy, Political Editor29 Jul 2008
Gordon Brown today faced a threat of ministerial resignations and a claim that deputy leader Harriet Harman is preparing to stand for Prime Minister.
Up to 10 ministers are ready to resign if necessary to oust Mr Brown, according to one former minister who spoke to the Evening Standard.
The MP described Mr Brown as "an unmitigated failure" and went on: "I have spoken to several members of the Government who say they will resign if it proves necessary to provoke a change of leader before it is too late. There are probably at least 10."
In another bombshell, The Times website this afternoon reported that Ms Harman is so convinced Mr Brown cannot survive that she is putting together a campaign to become his successor.
She was said to have stated "this is my time" over the weekend when reports were rife that Mr Brown will face a serious attempt to drive him from No 10 in September. Ms Harman quickly issued an emphatic denial that she had said the words or been in any way disloyal. But she would not rule herself out of a future leadership contest.
David Miliband is also widely said to be preparing the ground for a leadership election. There is talk of him standing on a "dream ticket" with Health Secretary Alan Johnson.
The developments significantly raised the danger level for the Prime Minister, although his supporters insist that talk of a challenge is down to a small minorityof disgruntled backbenchers. "I think most people have accepted that it is over and only a handful of people in Downing Street are trying to stop anything happening," a government source quoted by The Times said.
It said Ms Harman's private speech to the National Policy Forum in Warwick on Saturday night was seen as a bid for the leadership and that she was working on the unions to get support.
In an angry rebuttal, Ms Harman told the Standard: "I'm not preparing the ground for a leadership election. I have not been quietly working on the unions - I have been working with the unions on equality issues and building support for the Labour Party."
Asked if she would rule herself out of a future contest, Ms Harman replied: "There is no leadership election."
Until now there has been no obvious successor for disenchanted Labour MPs to rally around but the suggestion of a pairing between Mr Miliband, the young and cerebral Foreign Secretary, and the persuasive and street-wise Health Secretary could encourage rebels.
There is no suggestion that either man has agreed to a formal pact but a Labour grandee said: "It is still very early but a Miliband-Johnson ticket is one option being spoken about."
Justice Secretary Jack Straw is waiting until September to advise the PM on the state of his support. Mr Miliband is said to be willing to run for the leadership - but friends say he will not move until someone else pushes Mr Brown out.
Reader views (12)
The NULab main feature is over, run the credits, such as they are.
The supporting film is a comedy short, called Easy Street 2, the UK taxpayer also star.
- Oap, Cambridge, 31/07/2008 08:24
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The last time Harpic orchestrated a leadership campaign it was funded by all sorts of dodgy cash. I trust Jack the money man will make a better fist of overseeing the campaign funding this time around.
Please stand Harriet, it will only serve to send you and your dreadful colleagues into the political oblivion you so richly deserve. And it will be a pleasure to watch David Cameron rip you a new orifice at PMQs ( or should that be PMSQs) every week.
- Henry Crun, Derbyshire, 30/07/2008 23:00
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Harperson? I don't think so...
Exits stage left, muffling spluttering sounds.
- Jeremy Poynton, United Kingdom, 30/07/2008 13:28
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Harman for PM? Yes, absolutely and then we can be rid of the self serving, inept bunch of Lablosers forever. It's all immaterial anyway - they'll turn on each other like rabid dogs in the forthcoming power struggle and they will do to their party what they have done to the country - ruin it. Goodbye losers - it's over.
- Giltspur Fidens, Yorkshire, 30/07/2008 12:00
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Miliband, Harman and the rest of them knew of Brown's downside when they stood back from opposing him for the leadership a year ago, but they inflicted him on the country because they were too scared to oppose him when it mattered.
- John, London, 30/07/2008 11:50
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By all means put her up for the job. She will go down like a concrete kite and the labour party will be finished forever. Great!
- Jimbob, Kensington, 30/07/2008 09:06
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You got to be joking Harriet Harmen, no way, what a useless out of touch MP she is.
Forget it.
Gordon B: It's the useless berks around you that are causing your world to crumble. Sack them!
- Thomas Irvine, London, 30/07/2008 06:41
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Browns exercise in political vanity has ended in a mess. In the interests of the party he should not have stood for the leadership knowing his personal limitations. After securing the leadership and knowing the credit crunch would happen, a good politician would have called the early election he ducked knowing 5 years was a better time frame to ride out the crunch and regain support in time for the next election. Brown, again in an act of vanity decided he was going to make the most out of getting the job he craved and decided to stay in Downing Street and play ay being PM. It is Brown who has done damage to the party and Milliband and others should not feel any remorse for dragging him out of No.10 as soon as possible else we will lose most of the cabinet....and most MPs when Mr Brown finally has to call the election he dreads in 2010. Lets get a new leader, have that early election with a manifesto brimming with new, innovative policies and a sharp PM to sell them.
- Kdbur, london, 30/07/2008 00:52
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There is talk of him standing on a "dream ticket" with Health Secretary Alan Johnson.
Well I suppose its better than the nightmare of Harridan Harperson standing as the second unelected PM in a row. The only consolation is that either option would make not a scrap of difference to Labour's wipe out in the next election.
- Steve, London UK, 29/07/2008 23:28
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I'm surprised they have enough time to worry about leadership issues whilst dreaming up new stealth taxes and rushed in ill thought out anti terror laws stifling free speech and privacy in the UK.
- Steve, Hereford, 29/07/2008 22:42
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If I were Gordon Brown, I would do a Tony Blair and stand down. That way, I'd have the fun of watching Harman, Miliband and Straw fight for the poisoned chalice that is the Labour Party leadership. New Labour's prayer - "and lead us not into opposition" - some hope.
- Austen, London, 29/07/2008 21:11
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Gordon Bennett! Gordon Brownit!
- M Wilkinson, London UK, 29/07/2008 16:39
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