By Tony Grew - 6th January 2010
Cabinet ministers and backbench Labour MPs have rallied round the prime minister after a challenge to his leadership.
At 12:30 this afternoon two Blairite former cabinet ministers, Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt, sent an email to all Labour MPs calling for a secret ballot on whether Gordon Brown should continue to lead the party.
However, only a handful of MPs have publicly backed their call, and many more have made clear they totally reject the proposed ballot.
Several cabinet ministers have also publicly backed Brown - without cabinet support the 'coup' has no chance of succeeding.
The chancellor, Alastair Darling, justice secretary Jack Straw and home secretary Alan Johnson have spoken out against the proposed ballot.
Hoon, a former defence secretary and Hewitt, former health secretary, claimed in their email that the Parliamentary Labour Party is "deeply divided over the question of the leadership".
They called for a secret ballot as "the only way to resolve this issue" and such a vote "could be done quickly and with minimum disruption to the work of MPs and the government".
A Labour Party spokesman said the plan had no legitimacy.
"There is no provision for a secret ballot of MPs within the Labour Party constitution or rules, nor is there any provision whatsoever for a leadership election to be open only to MPs," he said.
"Not only, therefore, is this idea unconstitutional, it is not wanted and not needed."
Tessa Jowell, the Olympics minister, has issued a statement denying she is going to resign - there was speculation yesterday that she would be a high-profile figure that would speak in favour of a challenge.
"The story is complete and utter rubbish and I have no intention of resigning," she said.
Mr Brown's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister is relaxed and getting on with his job.
"He has a very busy schedule and, as always, is very focused on the key priorities in front of him."
A spokesman for business secretary Lord Mandelson, said: "No one should over-react to this initiative. It is not led by members of the government. No one has resigned from the government.
"The prime minister continues to have the support of his colleagues and we should carry on government business as usual."
Schools secretary Ed Balls, close ally of the prime minister, told Sky News the ballot proposal is a "damp squib".
"As you will see this afternoon, the cabinet is fully behind Gordon Brown the prime minister, so is the Parliamentary Labour Party. There is always been noises off, there always are in any political party."
Health secretary Andy Burnham also declared his support for Brown, as did Northern Ireland secretary Shaun Woodward.
Backbench MPs have reacted angrily to the ballot proposal.
Geraldine Smith (Lab, Morecambe and Lunesdale) called Hewitt and Hoon "cowards and betrayers" and John Mann (Lab, Bassetlaw) said:
"This is the fourth attempt that Geoff Hoon has made to have a coup against a sitting prime minister," he told the BBC.
"I know for a fact he tried twice against Tony Blair and this is his second attempt against Gordon Brown.
"This is about sour grapes. He thought he was going to be the European Commissioner and he isn't."
The Conservative party said the attempt to oust Brown was evidence of "a dysfunctional, faction-ridden Labour Party".
"Ministers are more concerned about saving their own political skin than actually getting Britain out of the monumental mess we are in," said Tory party chairman Eric Pickles.
"We cannot go on like this. The only responsible thing the government can do is call a general election."
Lib Dem MP Danny Alexander said Labour MPs are in "a desperate scrabble to save their own seats and minimise their defeat".
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd