Plot to oust Brown hatched at Harman’s home

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

The plot to oust Gordon Brown earlier this year (led by Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon) was hatched over Goose at Harriet Harman’s home, reports the Times (£):

“Those present for the New Year’s Eve dinner at Ms Harman’s Suffolk weekend retreat, including Ms Hewitt and at least two other senior Labour MPs, are understood to have all agreed that Mr Brown had to go if Labour was to avoid defeat.”

“In discussions that continued over long walks and late nights, Ms Harman told her guests that – if an opportunity arose – she believed there were at least five members of the Cabinet who would be prepared to tell the Prime Minister “the game is up”.”

Harman has been under siginificant pressure recently from some sections of the PLP – especially over her handling of the Phil Woolas case. It seems strange that these details have to light now, and would appear to be part of a rathceting up of pressure on the Deputy Leader.