UK's Brown 'safe for now'
2008-05-02 14:37
London - Britain's Gordon Brown is under no
immediate pressure from his party to step aside after a drubbing
in local elections, although Labour risks being ousted from
government if the economy does not pick up.
Analysts also said the Conservative success in the elections
would put the opposition party and their leader David Cameron
under renewed pressure to prove they can lead the country after
more than a decade in the wilderness.
So far, senior Labour lawmakers have rallied behind Prime
Minister Brown, saying the former finance minister is the man to
lead Britain through an economic downturn - but voters are
unconvinced.
With two years to go before national elections, Labour
recorded its worst results in 40 years in local polls on
Thursday, with estimates putting the party on 24% of the
vote - in third place behind the Conservatives on 44%
and Liberal Democrats on 25.
'No moves to oust Brown'
Tony Lloyd, chair of the parliamentary Labour party,
insisted there were no moves to oust Brown, who has been in the
job for less than a year after taking over from Tony Blair.
"I don't think there's appetite for saying we get the knives
out," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
"Scots in leadership positions can surprise you," he said,
pointing to the success of Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester
United football club, who is a Scot like Brown.
Still smarting from a bitter leadership battle between Brown
and his predecessor Tony Blair, the Labour Party recognises that
more in-fighting now would be fatal - and there is no obvious
candidate to fill Brown's shoes.
Possible contenders include Foreign Secretary David Miliband
and Education Secretary Ed Balls, but neither of Labour's rising
stars yet have a high profile - and may not be keen on what
could be a poisoned chalice if economic jitters persist.
'People feeling the pinch'
Rising food and fuel costs, a fall in house prices in a
country where two-thirds of the population own their own home,
and a tax move by Brown that left five million of Britain's
poorest households worse off have all soured the public mood.
"These are disappointing results and we recognise the
difficult economic context with people feeling the pinch," said
Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman.
But she threw her support behind Brown: "Against the
backdrop of economic concerns, really there is nobody with more
experience and more commitment to take the country through."
Pressure will mount on Brown, however, if cannot convince
voters he is doing his utmost to help those made worse off by a
decision to abolish the lowest rate of tax, or if the economy
takes a turn for the worse.
"If the economic crisis continues through 2010, Brown's dead
in the water," said Robert Worcester, founder of pollsters Mori.
Public relations push
Brown and his team have started a public relations push to
show they are aware of people's concerns on the economy, with
"listening" the new buzzword of the humbled leadership.
"People are questioning and want to be assured, that the
government will steer them through these difficult times," a
contrite Brown said on Friday.
The Conservatives have still to convince the public of the
credibility of a government led by Cameron, a former public
relations director who has been a member of parliament for just
seven years.
"This is an anti-Labour mood not a positive Conservative
mood," said Peter Kellner, president of polling firm YouGov,
adding the Conservatives were not in as good a position as
Labour in 1995, when their strong showing locally prefigured a
Conservative defeat at the national level two years later.
But analysts also questioned whether an image revamp from
Brown would be enough to improve his ratings.
"The public are pretty tired of spin from the Labour party
and from everybody else," said MORI's Worcester.
Issues of trust
Kellner said image rebranding could help if the contest
between Brown and Cameron looked likely to be close in national
elections due by mid-2010 at the latest.
"I think the issues of trust and authenticity are key. If
people believe he's (Brown) listening, then it can be an
effective tool."
Lloyd said the Labour drubbing could in fact work in the
party's favour since it would force people to focus on
Conservative policies.
"The public now will start looking at what David Cameron has
to say instead of politics becoming a referendum on Gordon Brown
and Labour."