No Labour plot against Brown, says Harriet Harman

Sunday, 27 July 2008 12:00 AM

Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman has rubbished suggestions of a plot within the party to unseat Gordon Brown as leader.

The MP for Camberwell and Peckham said the government is focused on correcting the country's economic problems, rather than involving itself in internal disputes.

There has been speculation that dissent within the Labour party is growing against the prime minister, with the loss of the Glasgow East by-election making his position "untenable" according to some sources.

But after justice secretary Jack Straw stressed that Mr Brown was "the right man" to lead the party, Ms Harman has said the country is fortunate to have an economic brain such as the prime minister's at the fore during a time of such economic uncertainty.

And she denied any suggestion that Labour members have been plotting against their leader at the party's policy forum in Coventry.

"At the conference this weekend that we've been having, I have to say that people's focus has not been on trying to create a political crisis out of an economic problem," she said on the BBC's Andrew Marr show.

"People have been very focused on looking at what the government is doing at the moment in our policies, in terms of employment and public services and also looking to the future."

"That is absolutely, honestly the situation as I can describe what's been happening this weekend."

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has stressed that challenging Mr Brown's leadership would be "pointless" and "divisive".

Mr Prescott wrote on the Labourhome website that he hoped "fellow Labour MPs will take a break too - both from the Westminster bubble and divisive talk of a pointless leadership challenge".

"We have, undoubtedly, some very talented men and women," he added.

"But with respect, none of them at the present moment has anywhere near the skills and experience, nationally and internationally, to lead this great party and country as we tackle these unprecedented major global problems."

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• economy
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• economy and finance
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• labour
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• party politics