By IRNA,
London : Two former British cabinet ministers Wednesday launched a last-ditch attempt to oust Prime Minister Gordon Brown by calling for a secret ballot by Labour MPs over his leadership.
Former defence secretary Geoff Hoon and former trade secretary Patricia Hewitt wrote to all Labour MPs calling for the leadership issue to be sorted out “once and for all” ahead of the forthcoming general election, which is due to be held by June at the latest.
“Many colleagues have expressed their frustration at the way in which this question is affecting our political performance,” they said in the letter.
“We have therefore come to the conclusion that the only way to resolve this issue would be to allow every member to express their view in a secret ballot,” their letter said.
The call for a ballot on Brown’s leadership follows speculation that backbench critics of the prime minister were trying to persuade sympathetic cabinet ministers to resign in a final bid to force him out.
It comes after a reported rift between the prime minister and Trade Secretary Lord Mandelson over the Labour Party’s “core vote strategy” for the coming elections.
Mandelson, who was a leading architect behind Labour’s three election victories, warned on Tuesday that the party could not win by appealing only to its heartland vote.
Brown has faced criticism within the party over his performance since replacing Tony Blair as prime minister in 2007. Concern has grown with opinion polls showing support for Labour far behind the opposition Conservatives.