Jane Kennedy given heave-ho

Jane Kennedy is one of the more stable Labour Party MPs. By that I mean she does not court controversy or the plotter's crown. She was a campaigner against Militant Tendency. She has been a minister without undue problems occurring. However, she has been unable to give 'Assurance of support' to Gordon Brown. He has let her go. She said today, "I wasn't able to give the prime minister the assurance of support that he wanted. No one I have spoken to over the last week has told me to support him." The grim reality becomes ever more stark.

Labour MP Sally Keeble also says she is withdrawing her support for Mr Brown. In a letter to her constituents the Northampton North MP said, "When Gordon said in the autumn of 2007 he wanted more time to put forward his vision, that seemed fair. However 18 months on, it is painfully clear that time has really run out." Time has run out.

Gordon Brown is a prime minister who cannot blame the recession on the previous chancellor, because that person was himself. So he is damned on two counts. His political vision has not materialised and his profligacy as chancellor has come back to haunt him. It could also be said that his dithering fuels his temper tantrums which in turn feeds his dithering.

He's in a vicious circle. Perhaps tonight's Parliamentary Labour Party meeting can put him out of his dilemma?

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