Tonight:
5°c
Embattled Brown faces Cameron in Commons duel
3 Jun 2009
Under-fire Prime Minister Gordon Brown faces a Commons grilling today after a day of resignations, fresh expenses revelations and party dissent fuelled fresh questions about his leadership.
On the eve of Euro and local elections at which Labour is expected to suffer a mauling at the hands of angry voters, the Prime Minister will face Tory leader David Cameron across the despatch box at question time.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith's was the highest profile name among a clutch of Labour figures to announce yesterday they would quit, threatening to derail Mr Brown's plans for a post-poll relaunch.
News of her decision came before another senior minister's expenses claims - including £6,000 of work on his second home and a £2,225 sofa unit - were revealed by The Daily Telegraph.
Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth defended his use of taxpayer-funded allowances, insisting he had remained within "the spirit and the letter" of Commons rules.
"The problem is, of course, that the rules were not good rules. We now must act to change this," he said.
The Prime Minister also took a pummelling from an editorial in today's Guardian calling for the Labour Party to "cut him loose".
This will come as another blow to Mr Brown because the paper's political allegiance is seen as being traditionally left-of-centre.
The editorial said: "The truth is that there is no vision from Brown, no plan, no argument for the future and no support. The public see it. His party sees it. The cabinet must see it too, although they are not yet bold enough to say so.
"Labour has a year left before an election; its current leader would waste it. It is time to cut him loose."
And the party leadership faced angry accusations of operating a "kangaroo court" after Norwich North MP Ian Gibson was banned from defending his seat by an internal panel examining controversial claims.
Mr Gibson was the only one of four MPs formally barred from standing again as Labour candidates by the National Executive Committee's "star chamber" not to have already announced he would quit.
But the president of his local party launched a scathing attack on the panel, accusing it of ignoring local support for the MP, who sold his taxpayer-subsidised flat to his daughter at a cut price.
"It was not a star chamber; it was a kangaroo court. They had decided before he even went," said Martin Booth.
"He had over 300 letters and emails of support and answer messages of support and they ignored it all. It just does not compare with a lot of the others. It is outrageous," he added.
David Chaytor (Bury North) and Elliot Morley (Scunthorpe), who both claimed thousands of pounds for interest on non-existent mortgages and Margaret Moran, who claimed £22,500 for treating dry rot at a home 100 miles from her Luton South constituency, were the others formally stripped of their nominations.
None of the four were expelled from the Labour Party or had the whip removed.
Another Labour backbencher, Jim Devine, is also to have his claim reviewed by the panel after allegations that he submitted receipts from a firm that may not have existed.
Ms Smith yesterday became the first Cabinet casualty of the expenses scandal.
Sources close to the Home Secretary said she was so hurt by revelations in March - including the humiliation of repaying £10 her husband Richard Timney, who works as her assistant, claimed for watching two adult films - that she told Mr Brown just days later that she wanted to quit.
Ms Smith was also criticised for claiming her main residence was a rented room in the property she shared with her sister, allowing her to claim second home allowance on the family home in Redditch, Worcestershire.
Children's Minister Beverley Hughes announced she wanted to leave in the shake-up - for family reasons - and Cabinet Office Minister Tom Watson is also expected to step down.
Ex-Cabinet minister Patricia Hewitt, relatively untouched by the expenses furore, said she would not seek re-election so she could concentrate on charity work in India.
Mr Brown, struggling to contain the expenses row, is to start chairing a new National Democratic Renewal Council, made up of ministers, from next week.
But his proposals to help rebuild the public's trust in parliament are being drowned out by the expenses row.
Feverish speculation at Westminster is already turning to the fate of Mr Brown after the impact of the results of tomorrow's elections sink in among Labour ministers and backbenchers.
The SNP and Plaid Cymru have announced they will use an opposition day debate next Wednesday to urge the Prime Minister to request the dissolution of parliament and hold a general election.
Reader views (6)
Reuben: why should we march on Downing Street. Cameron and Clegg should be leading a vote of no confidence as in 1979. Or has the Politburo totally eroded Parliamentary democracy without our knowledge?
- Bj, London, 03/06/2009 09:08
Report abuse
No No No.
Need Brown to stay. That way Labour will get annihilated at the next election and will never be in a position to cause so much damage ever again
- Sarit, Hong Kong, 03/06/2009 09:06
Report abuse
It will be interesting to see how many of Cameron's 6 and Clegg's 2 questions will be answered. But then why break the habit of 12 years+ by actually giving respectability to the weekly farce.
Even the Council/EU election broadcasts, now centre upon an anti Tory message, rather than any positive Labour promise.
But as we all know the Labour cupboard in empty, they've spent all our money.
- J R J, Glen Vine, 03/06/2009 08:59
Report abuse
Smoke and mirrors. They have learnt nothing, rather than being candid they continue with the conjuring performance in the false hope we all forget "the fingers in the tills years" the truth is in the middle of the piece;
"…None of the four were expelled from the Labour Party or had the whip removed…"
Given none of them stood a chance of being re-elected nothing has changed. Brown continues to do nothing and mess up everything he goes near, he was clever though. He managed to fill the cabinet with the most lacklustre individuals in the cosmos making a challenge impossible as not one of them has any features close to being called a leader including the present incumbent of the position.
- Gary, brentwood 1, 03/06/2009 08:35
Report abuse
A National Democratic Renewal Council?
WHAT DOES GORMLESS BROWN KNOW ABOUT DEMOCRACY? With his gaggle of incompetent yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir cronies at his beck and call, it is patently obvious to Joe Public that Brown is seriously deluded and should be pitied.
Under the present Labour government the public have seen their FREEDOMS REMOVED at a stroke. They were freedoms which 400,000 men and women gave their lives for in WW2 between 1939-1945.
The UK has 25% of the WORLD'S CCTV cameras.
The UK has the BIGGEST ILLEGAL DATABASE of DNA samples in the world.
Government departments now have the authority to intercept emails, text and telephone calls made in the UK.
From the moment one gets out of bed in the morning until the last thing at night Joe Public is being watched and listened to and are made to live IN FEAR.
The BIGGEST THREAT TO DEMOCRACY IN THE UK IS GORMLESS BROWN AND THE LIKES OF JACKBOOT STRAW, BLUNKETT AND PRESCOTT.
I AM VERY SURPRISED THAT 40,000,000 PEEPS HAVE NOT MARCHED ON DOWNING STREET YET, DEMANDING AN IMMEDIATE GENERAL ELECTION.
I SHALL BE FIRST IN THE QUEUE.
PEOPLE LIVING IN THIRD WORLD AFRICAN BANANA REPUBLICS HAVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE THAN PEEPS CURRENTLY HAVE IN THE UK.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe/Lancaster, 03/06/2009 08:11
Report abuse
Hopefully Cameron will start the political burial of plonker Brown during question time today - problem is that Brown is such an arrogant and egotistical man methinks it will take nothing short of a stick of dynamite placed between the cheeks of his buttocks to eject him from 10 Downing Street because clearly he is not reading the moods of either the public - or indeed, his own party members.
- Alan, Essex, 03/06/2009 08:02
Report abuse
