Reading West MP Martin Salter was among dozen of Labour MPs who publicly condemned the call by the former Chief Whip, Geoff Hoon, and former Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, for a Leadership Ballot in the Parliamentary Labour Party, just a few months ahead of this years’ General Election. Mr Salter responded to their circular e-mail saying:

Dear Geoff and Patricia,

 I have to say that I agree entirely with Lynne Jones about your ill-judged circular calling for a leadership ballot.

 I also happen to feel that it is inappropriate, to say the least, for a former Chief Whip and a current member of the Board of British Telecom  - who is standing down at the next election -  to be advising hard-working and full-time Labour MPs on who would be best placed to secure a Labour victory and their future employment prospects! The fact that you have chosen to broadcast your views to the media rather than in the confines of a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party speaks volumes about your true intentions.

 Yours,

 Martin Salter

E-mail from Lynne Jones, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak:

As one of the few Labour MPs who did not nominate Gordon Brown as Leader and am known not to have been a great fan of his, I detect no deep division amongst colleagues or in the wider Labour movement about his leadership at the present time.  I am therefore dismayed that you have given “legs” to such a story given that the best prospects for Labour at the forthcoming election is to contrast the deft handling of the recession by Labour in Government with the disastrous consequencies of the Tory approach in the 80s and 90s arising from the unemployment that followed. Whatever criticisms I may have of Gordon as a Leader, there is no doubt in my mind that he can take considerable credit for the improving economic outlook.  This is the narrative that we need to get across to the electorate and your actions jeopardise this.  I cannot believe that you had the best interest of the Labour Party at heart when you sent out this circular.

Other Labour MPs were even more forthright.

Gwynn Prosser, MP for Dover said:
I can’t agree with your suggestion. I think what you are doing is wholly wrong, disloyal, damaging to the Party and bordering on treachery.

John Heppell, MP for Nottingham East said:

I can only imagine you have taken leave of your senses. God knows what harm you have caused with your indulgence. I am sure your view is not shared by the majority of the PLP or ordinary party members who you arrogantly assume should have no say in this process. I am sure there will be no appetite for your proposed distraction and it will disappear as quickly as your credibility.

Martin Salter added:

It is very clear that this plot to unseat Gordon Brown is going no-where and never had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting any significant support from mainstream Labour MPs. For a plot to work it needs people, purpose, planning and professionalism and I am afraid that Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt scored nil out of 4!

I have received a good response to my intervention from colleagues both in the Reading Labour Party and in the Parliamentary Labour Party. There is absolutely no appetite for a Leadership challenge amongst grass-roots Labour supporters who clearly believe that Gordon Brown is the best person to take this country out of recession and the best person to lead us into the General Election and to expose the shallowness and cynicism of David Cameron and the Conservatives.