Brown Survives Labour Mutiny in U.K. With Pledge to ‘Improve’
By Kitty Donaldson and Gonzalo Vina
June 9 (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Gordon Brown will remain at the helm of Britain’s ruling Labour Party after beating back a rebellion by members unhappy over its worst-ever defeat in voting for the European Parliament.
Confronting dissidents at a two-hour closed-door meeting in Parliament in London late yesterday, Brown won the support of most Labour lawmakers by promising to make unspecified changes to his leadership style and agenda, said six who attended.
“I know I need to improve,” Brown told the meeting, according to his spokesman. He shrugged off calls for his resignation, saying, “You solve the problem not by walking away but by doing something about it.”
Although Brown’s supporters warned that a leadership fight would prompt a general election that Labour would almost certainly lose, the prime minister’s hold on power remains fragile. The wounds inflicted may be reopened if the party’s poll ratings don’t improve or if Brown presses ahead with controversial plans to clamp down on welfare benefits and sell a stake in the postal service.
“The sharks are no longer circling, but they haven’t gone away,” said Ivor Gaber, a professor of political campaigning at City University in London. “At the moment, he is still the most likely person to lead Labour into the next election. But it is by no means certain.”
Tomorrow, lawmakers vote on a motion proposed by opposition parties calling on Brown to hold a general election immediately instead of waiting until the deadline a year from now. If a handful of Labour lawmakers rebel or neglect to show up, Brown, who has a 63-seat majority, could lose the vote.
