Birkenhead MP says Labour can’t win with Brown at the helm

Jun 10 2009 by David Bartlett, Heswall News

BIRKENHEAD MP Frank Field has declared Labour cannot win the next General Election with Gordon Brown at the helm.

Mr Field, an outspoken critic of the Prime Minister, said: “I was one of the seven who would not support his coronation after Tony Blair was shoehorned out of Number 10.

“But even I didn't think a Brown administration would be as inept as this one.”

It came as Mr Brown survived a plot to oust him despite Labour’s worst ever election results.

His comments also came as Wallasey MP Angela Eagle has been promoted to Pensions Minister in Gordon Brown's reshuffle.

Ms Eagle has been Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury since Brown became PMin June 2007. She replaces Rosie Winterton, who becomes Regional Minister in the Business, Innovation and Skills Department.

In the North West European elections BNP leader Nick Griffin won a historic seat.

The Conservatives topped the poll winning three seats, followed by Labour with two, next were UKIP and the Liberal Democrats who won one seat apiece.

Writing on his blog Mr Field stated: “Labour supporters claiming that the European results were not a catastrophe for the party can only do so by inventing a new meaning for the word catastrophe.

“Whether one looks at them on a national, regional or local level the picture is pitiful.”

“In Wirral there is considerable resentment against the current EU,” added Mr Field.

“It may be that all of these natural voters deserted their natural party to support one of the clearer anti-European tickets, but I doubt it.

“Don't let anyone kid themselves that this was an unimportant election where voters felt they could make a clear protest vote.

“Unless something changes significantly on a national level these results would be reproduced at a general election.

“Labour cannot win with the present Prime Minister. It is simply absurd to argue, as does No. 10, that the next leader must call an immediate general election.

“I have set out in the Balanced Migration campaign how we should counter positively the BNP. Similarly, we need to cut loose European politics from our domestic politics.”

Racist wins seat: Page 14