Downing Street’s efforts to dampen speculation that a spring election is in the offing now that Labour has nudged ahead in a couple of polls have not been helped by reports that “senior party figures” are attempting to woo back Peter Slowe into a business fundraising role. Don’t know the name? Dr Slowe, a ground-breaking political geographer, was chair of the Labour Finance and Industry Group, a front for garnering lucrative support from business and the City, in the run up to the 1997 general election. He is still vice-chair but the author and biographer of legendary Labour MP Manny Shinwell is now being talked of as the “new Lord Levy” of the Labour Party. Oh dear, do they really want another one? As Tribune went to press, Dr Stowe was preparing to sit down to dinner with Peter Mandelson. So it must be true then. If he wants Tribune’s advice, he should take a cue from the title of Manny’s autobiography and Lead With the Left.
