Brown set to face challenge as Meacher withdraws
Matthew Tempest, David Hencke, Hélène Mulholland and Deborah Summers
Monday May 14, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Gordon Brown is set to face a contest for the leadership after Michael Meacher tonight stood aside to give John McDonnell a clear shot at the leftwing vote.
Mr McDonnell urged Labour MPs to back his campaign, insisting it was an "issue of democracy".
"What we are doing today is launching an appeal to Labour MPs to nominate the only candidate that there is to ensure that there is an election for the leader of the Labour party," he said.
"We are doing that not just because we want them to support our political platform, but also because, if they don't nominate, hundreds of thousands of party members and trade unionists will be denied the opportunity to vote for the leader of this party.
"This is an issue of democracy."
Mr Meacher confirmed that he had agreed to step aside after receiving fewer pledges of support from other MPs than Mr McDonnell, but neither would say how many each of them had got.
They confirmed that some names had had to be "eradicated" from their lists after it turned out they had offered their support to both men.
Mr McDonnell said: "The pledges of support we have got should ensure I will be on the ballot paper, but there are many MPs out there who haven't made their minds up. We have got pledges, but we need to convert those pledges into nominations."
He called on Mr Brown to ensure that there was a "climate of opinion" where Labour MPs felt able to nominate an opponent to challenge him for the leadership.
And he insisted that he expected to win significant support if a contest took place: "If we get on the ballot paper, you will be shocked at the depth of support among rank-and-file members and trade unions.
"There is a demand for change and I think that demand for change will translate into votes."
Asked if he would offer Mr Brown a job if he won the election, Mr McDonnell joked: "I would certainly give him a job, but not necessarily in this country."
Mr Meacher said he would support Mr McDonnell at hustings around the country, and said their "united left platform" would focus on tackling wealth inequality, boosting house-building, reducing poverty in old age, a foreign policy that was not "subservient to America", reversing privatisation of public services, reviving democratic accountability and dealing with climate change.
The two challengers made a pact two weeks ago whereby the one with the least support would step aside to avoid splitting the leftwing vote.
If Mr McDonnell gets enough backers, he and Mr Brown will face a six-week hustings campaign selling themselves, in effect, to party members.
Nominations for both the leadership and deputy leadership opened today, and close on Thursday.
Any challenger for either post needs 45 backers including him or herself.
There will be 11 hustings events before the results of the contest or election are announced at a special one-day leadership conference in Manchester on Sunday 24 June - three days before Tony Blair will formally step down as prime minister.
Deputy leadership hopefuls Harriet Harman, Peter Hain and Hazel Blears have published lists of at least 45 backers. Alan Johnson is thought to have more than the required backers.
Jon Cruddas and Hilary Benn say they are "confident" of getting to 45.
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