Are Lobbying Claims An Attempt to Undermine Brown?

Labour have acted swiftly against the three MPs implicated in the row over their links with a Lobbying firm.

Stephen Byers, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon have all been suspended from the Parliamentary Party in the wake of their appearance on Channel 4's Dispatches programme.

The three MPs - all standing down at the next Election - are well-known Blairites. Although Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, has been quick to say that there is not a shred of evidence of any wrong-doing on their part, one can not help wondering whether this is an attempt to undermine Gordon Brown's chances of leading Labour to victory in the imminent General Election.

This story has whipped up total disgust amongst both fellow MPs and Party members at large. After all is was Hoon and Hewitt who attempted to stage a coup in January, arguing that there should be a challenge to Gordon Brown's leadership. Now they are at it again.

Labour needs to get its act together and present a totally-united front to the electorate if they want to achieve that historic fourth successive election victory.