The Periscope Post

Two former cabinet ministers are pushing for a secret ballot on Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s leadership, just as Conservatives and Labour have started squaring off for the upcoming general election battle, the BBC reported today.

The dramatic coup attempt, The Independent reported, could have Brown replaced as Labour leader ahead of the election and came as a surprise to many Labour MPs today. In an open email to the Labour Party, sent during the Prime Ministers Questions, Geoff Hoon, the former chief whip, and Patricia Hewitt, the former Health Secretary, wrote, “As we move towards a General Election it remains the case that the Parliamentary Labour Party is deeply divided over the question of the leadership. Many colleagues have expressed their frustration at the way in which this question is affecting our political performance. We have therefore come to the conclusion that the only way to resolve this issue would be to allow every member to express their view in a secret ballot.”

News of the move, The Independent reported, “quickly undermined Mr Brown’s good performance against David Cameron” during the Questions, his first of the new year.

Labour response to the letter seems to be divided, The Times online live blog reports: Some MPs are branding the exercise a waste of time, whilst others have lent their support to Hoon and Hewitt. Senior Labour officials told the BBC that the secret ballot was “completely unconstitutional”, while the Parliamentary Labour leader told the news agency that the call has very minimal support.

The Independent, however, reported that many Labour MPs seem to be in favour of the measure. The Daily Mail also reported that former education secretary Charles Clarke and former welfare minister Frank Field, both opponents of the prime minister, have also backed the call.

Downing Street reportedly said that it would be “ludicrous” to expect that such a ballot would help Labour’s chances in the upcoming general election, The Guardian reported. Hoon told the paper that he felt he needed to act after other Labour MPs allegedly came to him with concerns about Labour’s leadership; Hewitt, he said, independently came to the same conclusion.

The Guardian also reported that the letter could force Brown to call an earlier election, ahead of the now expected date of May 6.