Dorset MPs’ shock at call for ballot on Brown leadership (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Dorset MPs’ shock at call for ballot on Brown leadership
5:01pm Wednesday 6th January 2010 in
MPs have voiced their astonishment at the attempt by two former cabinet ministers to put Gordon Brown’s leadership to a ballot.
Former defence secretary Geoff Hoon and ex-health secretary Patricia Hewitt stunned Westminster yesterday with their call for a secret leadership poll among Labour MPs.
Jim Knight, employment minister and MP for South Dorset, said of their letter to MPs: “I disagree with them and I think it’s misjudged.
“There are a few people who are grumbling, as Pat and Geoff describe it, but it’s by no means a huge number within the Parliamentary Labour Party, with most of them focused on wanting to win the next General Election.
“We’ve just come off what’s so far been a good week with David Cameron in a total mess over his plan on tax for married couples, so we need to battle on that rather than undermining Gordon as a leader.”
Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, said the news might bring forward the date of the General Election to March 25.
He said the latest challenge to Gordon Brown’s authority could “gather momentum”, in contrast to similar coup attempts by ex-ministers last year.
“These are new names which are coming forward and suggest that the Labour Party is continuing to implode on itself,” he said. He claimed the Labour leadership were “unable to run their own party, let alone the country”.
Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid-Dorset and North Poole, said the Commons was stunned by the development, which came just after Mr Brown faced David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions.
“If you look at the comments on Prime Minister’s Question Time, the Prime Minister was much sharper than he has been on many occasions. He must have exited feeling as if he’d done a good job and then walked into that news,” she said.
“I’m absolutely flabbergasted. It just appears that the Labour party is committed to a path of self-destruction.
“I cannot think that this move is going to help Labour’s electoral prospects whatever and I would think that if there’s that much unrest and it’s coming from government ministers, then it’s time now to go to the country and get this sorted.”
Comments(14)
contric
says...
6:09pm Wed 6 Jan 10
tt52
says...
6:55pm Wed 6 Jan 10
sea poole
says...
7:26pm Wed 6 Jan 10
Tories? Their track record isn't a great deal to shout about.
Loamingloof
says...
7:35pm Wed 6 Jan 10
The new poll with a reduced lead for the conservatives would have scotched it anyway.
I doubt it makes any difference whatsoever to the date for the General Election, or the result.
Mr Brown has been doing rather better in terms of presentation, and that has previously seemed his weakness.
contric
says...
7:49pm Wed 6 Jan 10
dancingdog
says...
7:59pm Wed 6 Jan 10
sea poole wrote:Why, what did they do wrong? They haven't had a chance to do anything for 15 years and all the original lot from Major and Thatcher's era have long since retired. The new generation of Conservatives should be allowed a chance to try and get this country out of the Politically Correct mess that Labour have forced on us by their lies.
tt52 -to be replaced by...what?
Tories? Their track record isn't a great deal to shout about.
tt52
says...
8:04pm Wed 6 Jan 10
sea poole wrote:To be honest i dont know, all of them are as bad as each other, they come knocking on our doors when they want our vote but after that they dont want to know, have you ever tried contacting your local M.P. its prettey near impossible.
tt52 -to be replaced by...what?
Tories? Their track record isn't a great deal to shout about.
Perhaps the UKIP party or even better still the BNP, no none of them, i think i will just vote for myself then when i balls it up i can just blame me and nobody else
jboris
says...
8:11pm Wed 6 Jan 10
Like not being given over a hundred grand of hard earned tax payers cash for having their 'second home' loft converted? Surely paying to hugely improve the value of the local MP's London flat was all legitimate expenses. Old Tobias must have been shocked to the core at missing out on this latest little freebie. Still he managed to hoover up to the very maximum (to the last pound) of other expenses.
Who has any respect left for these creatures?
sea poole
says...
9:22pm Wed 6 Jan 10
sea poole
says...
10:30pm Wed 6 Jan 10
' ethos you must be naive beyond belief.
One thing for sure, our local Tory MPs will be so busy filling in their expenses forms they won't have time to think about PC issues
ferret38
says...
10:40pm Wed 6 Jan 10
minivoice
says...
5:53am Thu 7 Jan 10
honcho
says...
9:17am Thu 7 Jan 10
He was never elected, he has never been popular, and he knows he is never going to win the next election.
He has ruined the economy, just like every other labour government. Labour will be out of power for another 18 years at least, hopefully longer.
I'm no fan of Cameron, but say what you like about the Tories, at least they do a better job of running the country.
Even John Major is a good honest hard working guy compared to the likes of Brown and Blair.
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Redgolfer says...
5:33pm Wed 6 Jan 10
Who can TRUST a word they say because it will be more LIES, what about our VOTE on Europe that was in their manifesto last time, all their spin on LAW and Order, Health Service, Border Controls, they are the PARTY that BETRAYED this COUNTRY and we not FORGET that in a HURRY.