Brown in key MPs

GORDON Brown will be fighting for his political survival today in a make-or-break meeting with MPs.

Rebel MPs have still not come up with the 100 signatures they promised in a letter of no confidence.

They need the backing of 71 of Labour’s 350 lawmakers to trigger a leadership contest, which would take about three weeks.

But last night’s crushing losses for Labour may be the last straw for the beleaguered leader, who last week faced a flurry of resignations from ministers.

With a General Election now expected in May 2010, Brown has made it clear he is determined to stay on and fight and will be hoping that last week’s reshuffle will be sufficient to shore him up for the time being.

Crucially, he has the backing of new Home Secretary Alan Johnson, who is seen by many MPs as a possible new leader.

However, yesterday Lord Falconer, a former Lord Chancellor, became the latest senior Labour politician to speak out against the Prime Minister. “We need unity above all. Can we get unity under the current leadership? I don’t think so. The only way it can be achieved is with a change of leader.”