One of Gordon Brown's closest cabinet allies has told Labour dissidents to end their "indulgent nonsense" and stop criticising the prime minister.
In an interview with the Times, Ed Balls said that internal criticism was damaging the party in the run up to the May 1 local and
The leadership would be "intolerant" of anyone who put personal interests before the party's and the country's, the schools secretary told the paper.
Balls said that there would always be people who "have a gripe, a score to settle and disappointments from the past – it was ever thus."
Whilst trying to win back power in Merseyside,
The efforts of local councillors and shadow leaders should not be undermined by this kind of indulgent nonsense, he said.
In support of the prime minister Balls said: "Anybody who has the strength and conviction to take the tough decisions he did on public spending in his first two years, resist pressure to go into the euro and deal with fears of recession in 1998 and 2001 shows that he knows how to handle difficult times.
"When times are tough is when experience counts. When times are tough is when unity of the party is at a premium. When times are tough, having ideas and policies for the future really matters."
The comments were particularly aimed at the Labour figures who, Balls believes, have privately briefed against Brown, even suggesting that he might go and that Charles Clarke may run as a stalking horse.
He denounced the "silly gossip" that Labour figures have fed to newspapers during the Easter recess.
