by Chris McLaughlin
THE illusory leadership election sparked by Foreign Secretary David Miliband descended into farce this week amid speculation about who would be appointed to his Cabinet after a takeover from Gordon Brown.
Interpreted as a sign that Mr Miliband’s plans to become Labour leader are at an advanced stage, the Daily Telegraph report that “uber-Blairite” Alan Milburn had been promised the Chancellor’s job, prompted derision and further anonymous intriguing.
Mr Milburn described claims of private talks on the matter as “bollocks”. But there was a growing belief that Mr Miliband had achieved what he had set out to do in his Guardian article before going on holiday and placed himself in pole position for any leadership race if and when it happens.
That has reinforced opinion around Mr Brown that Mr Miliband may have given a spur to former Blairite ministers who want to mount a challenge come what may in order to impose a new, even more right-wing agenda on the Government.
Amid the smoke-and-mirrors games being conducted by phone and text between holiday homes one of the suggestions which emerged to explain the story about Mr Milburn is that it was planted by one of Mr Brown’s aides in order to discredit Mr Miliband’s potential candidature as a Blairite putsch.
Former Minister Geoffrey Robinson said of the alleged offer to Mr Milburn: “It’s a thought. I’m not sure it’s a very good thought, and I’m not sure it’ll do David Miliband much good.”
While anonymous briefings and counter-briefings on alleged plots continued to fly across an undeclared no-man’s land, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown remained on holiday, working on a real reshuffle and a series of announcements on mortgages and fuel poverty (see opposite).
Mr Milburn reinforced speculation of a plot by regrouped Blairites by letting it be known that he would rebuff any conciliatory offer of a return to the Cabinet in Mr Brown’s rehuffle, reportedly saying that he would be “mad’ to accept.
Repeated reports that Mr Brown was planning to offer Mr Milburn a job as an olive branch to Blairites have also led to concern in the party that Mr Brown will continue tacking, or lurching to the right, in an effort to shore up his flagging reputation and popularity.
None of these reports have ever been confirmed but it is widely believed that such a move would bind Mr Milburn into the Government and prevent him from speaking out.
There was complete agreement among aides to both Mr Brown and Mr Miliband on one thing: “There is no leadership challenge.”
