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Poll puts pressure on Brown before conference
Britain's governing Labour Party fell further behind the opposition Conservatives in a poll yesterday, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown before a party conference at which he will fight for his job.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:18 September 19, 2008
London: Britain's governing Labour Party fell further behind the opposition Conservatives in a poll yesterday, increasing pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown before a party conference at which he will fight for his job.
Labour is consistently near 30-year lows in polls and its lack of popularity has been compounded by the global economic crisis, in which Britain's largest savings group, HBOS, was taken over by Lloyds TSB in a $20 billion (Dh134 billion) deal on Wednesday.
Britain's unemployment rate rose last month by the largest amount in 16 years, figures this week showed.
Rising food and energy costs and slumping house prices have also stoked discontent with Labour's 11 years in office.
15 months of decline
Brown's declining fortunes, 15 months since he replaced Tony Blair without a leadership contest, have led to calls from members of his party to quit. Dissenters want a different leader to take them into the next election, due by mid-2010.
Official spokesman for Brown brushed off the opinion poll, saying the prime minister was not focusing on such issues. "The prime minister is solely preoccupied with the big issues facing the country at the moment, not least the situation we have seen in financial markets in recent days," he said.
Britain's economy ground to a halt in the second quarter and analysts warn it may soon go into recession. With inflation running at 4.7 per cent, the central bank has been reluctant to cut interest rates.
Despite public support from some cabinet ministers, the poll is likely to fuel the revolt by Labour rebels before the party's annual decision-making conference starting tomorrow.
While Labour Party chiefs have blocked attempts to force a vote on Brown's leadership, doubts over his ability to win an election are likely to dominate. Brown will be seeking to reassure members when he addresses the rally.
The Ipsos Mori poll found 52 per cent of those who said they would definitely vote at the next election backed the Conservatives.
Possible contenders for top post
DAVID MILIBAND The foreign secretary and a rising star within the Labour party, 43-year-old Miliband set tongues wagging about a possible leadership challenge with an article in July calling for renewal in the party. Considered bright, smooth and articulate, Miliband is a front-runner to succeed Brown were he forced aside. Educated at Oxford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Miliband became a member of parliament in June 2001, was made a middle-rank minister within a year and a cabinet minister in 2005. He was appointed foreign secretary in June 2007. His nickname is "Brains".
JACK STRAW Foreign secretary at the start of the Iraq war and now Justice Secretary. Straw is an old Labour hand who has held numerous government posts during a long career. The 62-year-old is a well-connected player considered dependable and experienced rather than exciting. In parliament since 1979, the former barrister comfortably made the transition from being a senior member of Tony Blair's cabinet to a senior figure in Gordon Brown's. He is frequently mentioned as someone who could act as a caretaker if Brown were ousted.
ALAN JOHNSON Johnson, 58, is a guitar-playing former postman with close ties to the trade unions. His common touch and man-in-the-street style has enamoured him with Labour's working-class base. In 1992 he became the youngest general secretary in the history of the Union of Communication Workers. A former education secretary and now health secretary, Johnson is a straight-talker who came second in the race to be deputy leader of the party in 2006, when he was talked of as a potential successor to Blair.
HARRIET HARMAN The leader of the House of Commons and deputy leader of the Labour Party, Harman is a skilled and experienced party operator with close ties to Brown. A committed feminist, Harman is well aware of her shortcomings. She once said she could never be prime minister because "there aren't enough airports in the country for all the men who would want to flee". The 58-year-old has, though, been touched by scandal. She was criticised for receiving anonymous donations for her deputy leadership bid, and upset voters when she wore a stab vest to visit her inner-city London constituency.
JAMES PURNELL Now work and pensions secretary, the fresh-faced, sport-loving 38-year-old has spent most of his working life in politics, starting as a researcher for Blair while Labour were in opposition. He entered parliament in 2001 becoming a junior minister at culture, media and sport. He negotiated the tricky waters between the Blairites and Brown loyalists well to land a senior cabinet post. He is also known for founding the "Demon Eyes" soccer team which included fellow cabinet members Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and David Miliband.
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