Harman favourite to succeed Brown
Wednesday, 18 February 2009 12:00 AM
By politics.co.uk staff
Deputy leader of the Labour party, Harriet Harman, has emerged as the favourite to succeed Gordon Brown.
The latest Ipsos MORI poll showed Labour 20 points behind the Conservatives with 64 percent saying they were dissatisfied with Gordon Brown's premiership.
Some now see the prime minister as unelectable and William Hill bookmakers are placing Ms Harman as the 3-1 favourite to replace him.
William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "We keep seeing relatively small but possibly significant stakes for Harriet to take over when Brown departs and she has taken over from David Miliband as favourite."
According to some in Westminster, Ms Harman is attempting to distance herself from Mr Brown in a move to line herself up as his successor.
Last week she called for bonuses paid to executives of banks since rescued by the government to be reclaimed, a more radical statement than that of others in the cabinet and one which would appeal to the Labour left, her natural supporters.
Ms Harman completely denies any suggestion she is positioning herself as a potential successor.
A spokesman said: "She is a very loyal deputy. She always has been and she always will be."
Her rise to favourite has come at a time when Mr Brown is under increasing pressure amid sliding approval ratings.
Julia Clark, an Ipsos MORI analyst, said: "Previously, people were willing to buy Brown's argument that this is a global recession and not just something happening in the UK."
She said the polls show the public now believe that Mr Brown is at least partly responsible for the current economic strife.
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