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Brown urged to call early poll
02/08/2007 12:11 - (SA)
London - Speculation that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown could call an early general election was fuelled on Thursday by a leaked memo urging him to capitalise on his current popularity.
"We have to have a strategy of audacious advance. The best way of achieving this is to hold an early election after a short period of intense and compelling activity," Labour Party strategist Philip Gould said in the memo.
"It is inconceivable that you will not enjoy a significant honeymoon when you become leader. You need to build on this and translate it into a new mandate."
The 10-point strategy, published in the traditionally Labour-supporting Daily Mirror tabloid, is the clearest sign yet that Brown, who took over from Tony Blair on June 27, could go to the country early.
On alert for early election
Labour's vice-chairperson Martin Salter on Wednesday said they had been put on alert for an early election, although there was no official timetable.
In theory Brown has until May 2010 at the latest to call a general election but in practice the vote is likely to be held earlier, with the prime minister himself letting slip that it could be 2009.
But centre-left Labour may not have the funds to fight an election: the party is currently £25m in the red, according to its annual financial report published on July 17.
Brown is currently enjoying a "bounce" in the polls at the expense of the main opposition Conservatives, whose leader David Cameron has been increasingly under fire in recent months over his attempts to revamp the right-wing party.
In Britain, the prime minister is the leader of the largest party in parliament and a general election does not have to be called if they change leader mid-term.
With no candidate having mustered enough support to stand against Brown for the Labour leadership, that led to criticism in some quarters that he should call an election to prove his mandate to govern.
Gould's memo, apparently written before he took office, says: "You must start election planning early.
"We can't leave it late as we did last time. We must make a start."
- AFP
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