Patricia Hewitt | Jon Worth

OK, here we go again. I’ve lost track of the number of times that there have been weak and weedy attempts to ditch Gordon Brown over the last 9 months or so. This time things are perhaps a little bit different – the Hoon-Hewitt plot is open and on the record, and they are at least both former cabinet ministers, although they claim this is no coup attempt against Gordon Brown – it could equally strengthen Brown were he to win such a poll of MPs. This then prompted a typical sort of tribalist response, typified by this tweet from Labour candidate for Manchester Withington Lucy Powell:

Look Lucy and anyone else trying to defend that line in public – it’s a load of crap. Labour is not united behind Brown. It’s not united behind anyone as an alternative to Brown either. People might not be behind Hoon and Hewitt (and especially not their timing), but there’s scarcely any Labour person I know that doesn’t have some sort of misgivings about Brown’s leadership. There’s no way to gloss over that. To do so is futile. But, conversely, what I write does not necessarily mean that Brown is not the best person to lead Labour into the election.

That leads me to the conclusion that I am not especially bothered about whether Brown is now ousted or not, and I say this as someone who joined Labour at the age of 16 and still carries the card. If Brown is ousted then a new leader will have too little time to change things much. If Brown stays then Labour will potter ahead towards an election with a wounded leader. Either option is rather sub-optimal.

All I want is some sort of quick decision, some clear line about what is going to happen. No rumbling news stories for days on end. This must be the very last effort to deal with the leadership question before the election. And after that – with a bit of luck – some sort of pragmatic, policy based approach that activists can use in the run up to the election can be developed. Remember the Tories will outspend Labour 3-1.

MPs in the corridors of Westminster: please think of the country, please avoid the crass soundbites about unity, and – above all – do not dither, whatever way the decision goes.

Geoff Hoon - CC / Flickr

As the drip-drip of expenses allegations continue to emerge in Westminster, is there any implication for Brussels, the EU of course not being well known for its standards of propriety among its politicians…?

The specific point relates to the European Commission – what impact will all of the goings-on in Westminster have on the UK’s choice of European Commissioner? The new Commission is due to take office 1st November 2009, and nominees will be sought in the weeks after the European Parliament election.

I first wrote about the UK’s choice for 2009 some 18 months ago, and my analysis then has not changed that much.

Geoff Hoon is the only one of the four names I mentioned who has become deeply embroiled in the expenses scandal – Brown would surely make the European Commission look ridiculous by sending such a person to Brussels now, and Tories in the EP would have a field day at the Parliament’s hearings for prospective Commissioners. The backlash against any Labour candidate succeeding Hoon in his Ashfield constituency would be considerable.

For the other candidates – Labour is probably more strongly inclined than ever before to avoid a by-election. So the chances of Hewitt or Clarke getting the Commissioner job must also have taken a hit (nothing about them yet from The Telegraph). Also with the Lib Dems trying to hammer home their critique of Gordon Brown the chances of a ‘big tent’ candidate have surely also declined.

So who might gain from all of this?

Current incumbent Baroness Ashton is rumoured to want to carry on in Brussels. Low profile when she started, Ashton has done little to boost her reputation in her 9 months in Brussels. She would be a safe but mundane choice, no by-election needed, but chances would be that the UK could be partially Orbaned – i.e. given a minor portfolio.

So now more than ever before Brown should go for Ken Livingstone as European Commissioner – he has the stature, would make an excellent Environment Commissioner, and no by-election would be needed.

[UPDATE - 21.5.2009]
Hewitt is yet to be implicated in any expense scandals. In the meantime there is some speculation about Brown’s reshuffle after the election, moving Mandelson to the FCO and Miliband to the Home Office, although Mandy is apparently denying this. Would such a demotion actually be the precursor to Miliband taking up the High Rep for CFSP position in Brussels? @ResEuropa on Twitter thinks it’s possible.

[UPDATE 2, 21.5.2009]
Seems that Charles Clarke has been making some rather large food claims – 2 Pizzas Clarke as Paul Waugh describes it. The waiters in La Brace on rue Franklin will be rubbing their hands with glee.