Health minister calls for Labour apology
Junior health minister Ivan Lewis has called for the prime minister and his government to apologise for “letting people down” in the past year.
Mr Lewis told the Telegraph that the party risks losing the next general election if the prime minister fails to acknowledge his mistakes, stating: “Team Labour at Westminster should say sorry to party members, workers and the electorate for the mistakes that we have made in recent times.”
And the Bury South MP said that the government needs to come down to the level of the general public rather than remaining on “Planet Westminster” if it is to have political success.
In a damning indictment of his leader, Mr Lewis argued that Prime Minister Brown must apologise for the fiasco surrounding October’s “election that never was”, as well as what the MP maintains was a lack of empathy for those affected by the economic crises.
He added that the party as a whole also needs to say sorry and admit that it has “let people down”.
According to the paper, the MP could risk losing his seven-year ministerial position as a result of his comments.
Mr Lewis’ local authority was lost to the Conservatives in last week’s local election and his concerns are seen to reflect the wider unease within Labour, exacerbated by the publication of opinion polls yesterday suggesting that the party’s popularity has slumped to an all-time low.
