Blairite loyalists step up crusade to stop Gordon

Mr Brown struggled to answer repeated questions about his role in last week's events and what he knew of a letter from MPs demanding Mr Blair's departure
13 April 2012

Gordon Brown is facing the threat of a bitter battle to become Prime Minister.

Cabinet ministers began looking for a challenger to block his path to Number 10 and union bosses threatened to withdraw their support unless he scraps Blairite policies.

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The Chancellor tried to restore his credentials as a team player in a major TV interview in which he denied being behind last week's attempted coup against Tony Blair. But it did little to convince furious Blairite loyalists.

Up to ten Cabinet ministers are understood to have spent the weekend deciding how to exploit a barrage of criticism of him from former Home Secretary Charles Clarke. They believe enough MPs harbour doubts about the Chancellor for there to be a credible challenge.

A truce ordered by both Mr Blair and the Chancellor brought what looked like a day of respite at Westminster after open Labour civil war. But behind the scenes a 'stop Gordon' movement was under way.

The Chancellor's enemies were encouraged by signals from Downing Street that Mr Blair has broken irretrievably with Mr Brown and is committed to barring his path to power.

"Tony wants anyone but Gordon," one source said.

Mr Blair, it was said, will refuse to endorse his old rival as the next leader, effectively giving a green light to anyone willing to stand against him.

The Prime Minister himself, speaking at a press conference in the Middle East, sounded unconvinced as he said he accepted Mr Brown's assurances that he was not behind the plot.

A Blair aide said: "The debate now is all about Gordon. Mr Blair is happy to let the Chancellor stew, and won't bust a gut trying to help him out of this mess."

Mr Brown has said he would 'welcome' a contest. But he will face the biggest test of his career as his long-running leadership claim is put under intense scrutiny.

Blairite Ministers are trying to persuade 41-year-old Environment Secretary David Miliband to ditch his public support for Mr Brown and run as a youthful alternative. Their second choice is Education Secretary Alan Johnson, who has not ruled out a challenge.

Claims that their anti-Brown efforts are being co-ordinated by Peter Mandelson were fuelled by allegations from a close friend of the former minister that Mr Brown was 'autistic' and suffered from a 'kind of political Asperger's syndrome'.

Mr Brown, in his first TV interview since returning from a six-week paternity break, appeared to struggle with questions about his role in last week's events and what he knew of a letter from MPs demanding Mr Blair's departure.

He was also hit by revelations that the junior defence minister behind the letter visited him at home in Scotland the day before the letter was released.

Claims from Brown aides that Tom Watson - who has since resigned - was delivering a present for Mr Brown's baby son Fraser were met with disbelief. But Mr Brown denied that he had seen the letter, insisting: "If anybody had asked me, I would have said it was completely ill-advised."

The Chancellor's allies stress that he is still the odds-on favourite, with widespread support.

They said the failure of any Blairite figures to follow-up Mr Clarke's attack suggested opposition to him could stall.

They were also encouraged by the performance on the BBC's Sunday AM programme, when Mr Brown showed his human side. He tried to allay fears that he is a workaholic politician with no understanding of the real world by talking about how fatherhood has changed his outlook.

He said he was guided by a 'moral compass' inherited from his father, a Church of Scotland minister.

Mr Brown also used the interview to flesh out some of the policy areas he would have to tackle as Prime Minister. He conceded that the handling of the aftermath of the Iraq war had been a mistake and held out the prospect that British troops could be withdrawn under his leadership.

He also spoke in favour of a 'managed migration' policy to prevent a sudden influx of workers from Romania and Bulgaria when the two countries join the EU.

But Mr Brown faced new pressure as union barons opening the TUC conference in Brighton gave a stark warning that he will not get their votes unless he abandons New Labour policies.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber made a point of saying there were 'other people of talent' who could take the top job while transport union chief Tony Woodley warned: "I'd like to hear from any prospective leader that it will be not more of the same."

The unions have a third of the vote in a leadership election and hold the key to Labour's finances.

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