Reid: Blair victim of left wing plot
Reid: Blair victim of left wing plot
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Sunday, 07, May 2006 06:47
Tony Blair is the victim of an Old Labour plot to oust him as prime minister, home secretary John Reid said today.
Earlier in the day, about 50 Labour MPs are thought to have signed a letter calling for Mr Blair to name a departure date to end "debilitating" leadership speculation.
But Mr Reid claimed their real agenda was to topple Mr Blair and turn the clock back on his reforms.
It comes as chancellor Gordon Brown calls for an "orderly" handover of power when Mr Blair steps down.
Mr Reid, who took over as home secretary from Charles Clarke in Friday's Cabinet reshuffle, said he would "go further" than Brown’s call for party unity.
He said Mr Blair should be allowed to serve a full third term, as he promised the electorate at last year's general election.
Getting rid of the prime minister now would be "catastrophic" for Labour, he told the BBC’s Daily Politics Show.
He said: "The whole thing has been generated by people who want to push Mr Blair out.
"They want to stop the reform programme and go back to Old Labour.
"They're not going to win. There is no going back for this party."
Mr Reid said announcing a timetable for Mr Blair's departure would hand the Conservatives a "big advantage" and dent Labour’s plans to push through reforms.