Two of the most senior members of Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet have strenuously denied making a secret pact in the event of the Labour leader stepping down.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and shadow health secretary Andy Burnham were reported by The Times to have struck a "non-aggression pact".
The newspaper quoted one figure as saying: "It's about presenting a joint offer to make a contest unnecessary."
But Ms Cooper's spokesman said there was "no foundation whatsoever" to the suggestion.
He said: "The spreading of lies like this only damages the Labour Party and should be seen as exactly what it is - complete and utter garbage. Yvette, the shadow cabinet and the party are united behind Ed's leadership."
The shadow health secretary's spokesman insisted there were "no discussions of this kind", adding: "The party is united behind Ed's leadership and we are confident he will become the next prime minister."
Mr Miliband made no comment and refused to answer questions as he left his home in north London on Friday morning.
Sky's Jason Farrell said: "This is probably the biggest crisis he has faced over his leadership thus far."
Mr Miliband was earlier forced to deny reports that several backbenchers had demanded his resignation amid concerns over Labour's prospects of victory at next year's General Election.
Dismissing the reports as "nonsense", Mr Miliband insisted the party was focused "on the country and the things that matter to the country".
In a show of support, former cabinet minister David Blunkett has called for an end to "this bout of political insanity".
"When you are standing on the edge of a cliff it is unwise to believe that by jumping you will suddenly learn to fly," he told The Guardian.
Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said Mr Miliband is "the right person to lead Labour and the right person to lead Britain".
One of Labour's biggest individual donors, JML founder John Mills, urged the party to "rally behind its leader ... not to get involved in internecine fighting like this".
But Lord Soley, who as an MP chaired the parliamentary party, issued a bleak vision of the party's General Election prospects and suggested Mr Miliband should take a less prominent role as he was not seen by voters as a "charismatic potential prime minister".
And there was further bad news for Mr Miliband as a recording emerged of shadow Welsh secretary Owen Smith saying the party is "dying" and that unless it becomes "much, much more vigorous ... then we are lost".
His remarks were made during a fringe event at a conference organised by CLASS, a left-wing think tank.
A Labour spokesperson said: "Anyone who was at the event would know that this comment was a humorous dig at the age of the people attending the fringe meeting and not a comment on the Labour movement.
"It is ludicrous to twist it in this fashion."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Labour Pair Deny Secret Pact Over Miliband
Dengan url
http://yojanganmenyerah.blogspot.com/2014/11/labour-pair-deny-secret-pact-over.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Labour Pair Deny Secret Pact Over Miliband
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Labour Pair Deny Secret Pact Over Miliband
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar