Harman and Johnson deny leadership bids
Both Harriet Harman and Alan Johnson have denied they are seeking to lead the Labour party after reports in the press that senior cabinet members are rebelling against the prime minister.
Ms Harman, the deputy leader, issued a statement denying she would fight for leadership if backbenchers forced Gordon Brown out before the next general election.
The story, published in the Daily Telegraph, was dismissed as “rubbish” by Ms Harman’s spokesperson.
Alan Johnson, the health secretary, has also denied there is a plot to oust the prime minister.
But he added weight to the rumours yesterday that MPs are lining him up to replace Mr Brown, when he said there were “circumstances” in which he would contemplate running for the job.
The reports suggest growing discontent among Labour party figures after Mr Brown faced what some are calling his worst week ever.
The government lost a vote on the issue of settling Gurkhas, their first Commons defeat, and were accused of being out of touch not only by the Conservatives but from within their own party when communities secretary Hazel Blears wrote a scathing article in the Observer.
Ms Blears wrote the government faced “dire consequences” if ministers continued to misread the public mood.
Although she quickly made a statement to say she was “100 per cent behind” the prime minister, the article was seen as a direct attack on Mr Brown.
The government also decided to postpone a vote on MPs expenses, deferring it until a report has been completed, fuelling allegations Mr Brown was afraid of another defeat.
