Cabinet ministers involved in new plot to oust Brown

Just when he thought it was safe!

Gordon Brown’s team were boasting before the Christmas recess that they’d secured their man’s position as leader by closing the poll gap with the Tories.

Now I hear that phones ran hot between backbench MPs, junior ministers and at least two Cabinet members, it is claimed, over the Christmas break about how to bring the PM down.

There is no masterplan, the normal difficulties about whether to get backbenchers applying the pressure with signatures or ministers/men in grey suits marching in are unresolved.

It may, of course, traditionally by now, not come to anything.

But the conversations have happened and we will know one way or another by the middle of next week if it is coming to anything.

Plotters don’t think it’s realistic to hang around longer than that.

I spoke to one Cabinet member who said the time for such things had already passed.

The plotters I spoke to want a straight Alan Johnson succession, by the way. Of course, the last plot by email flopped, the David Miliband attempted coup of 2008 flopped too.

Odds must be against… but what a way to start a general election campaign.

Related: Election campaign – new Cameron poster has a touch of the Politburo 

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