Gordon Brown: I will go on and on
GORDON BROWN is making secret plans to stay on as Labour leader after the general election even if his party is defeated. The prime minister has told close colleagues that he will refuse to quit unless the Conservatives win a significant majority.
“Gordon has said he believes his enemies in the party are too divided among themselves to force him out,” said a senior Labour source. “He thinks that if the May election is indecisive and if there is any prospect of a second election, Labour should not be plunged immediately into a messy leadership contest.”
The prime minister’s audacious strategy will infuriate Blairite backbenchers and some cabinet ministers who blame Labour’s ailing fortunes on his leadership and believe the party needs a fresh start. With many of Brown’s fiercest critics standing down at the election and others likely to lose their seats, he is optimistic that his plan can succeed. Friends of Brown believe he will want to remain in post if David Cameron’s majority is 20 seats or less. A hung parliament or a narrow victory for the Tories could result in Cameron calling a second general election within a short period to secure a better result.
Brown has told colleagues he believes it makes little sense for the Labour party to have a change of leadership if the political landscape is so uncertain. His critics fear his decision to remain in post is part of a strategy to pave the way for his ally Ed Balls, the schools secretary, to succeed him as party leader.
