Labour leadership 'targets' rebel MPby Colin Brown, Deputy Political Editor, The Independent
Alan Simpson, a leading member of the left-wing Campaign Group, has
been reported to the most senior committee of backbench Labour MPs for
a meeting today with Mr Blair.
Officially, he is being disciplined for comparing Downing Street
under Mr Blair to Franco's Fascist regime and dismissing his
replacement by Mr Brown as being like Saddam Hussein being replaced by
his notorious son Uday. But it is being seen as an attempt by Downing
Street to stop the left openly calling for Mr Blair's early departure.
Mr Simpson is refusing to apologise for his comments. At a convivial
lunch in a Whitehall pub yesterday for a group of rebels, jokingly
referred to as the Old Testament Prophets - a phrase used by Mr Blair
against the traditional left - he was given the support of fellow
left-wing Labour MPs.
...
However, last night, Mr Simpson, a persistent critic of the Prime
Minister over the war on Iraq, remained defiant, saying it was a sign
of weakness for the Labour leadership to single him out at a time when
the Government was losing the support of the public.
"Downing Street may not have liked my comments about the war, but
they really need to get out more. It is the party's self destructive
abandonment of principles that is causing the haemorrhage of support
for Labour, not those who try to criticise it," he said. [read article]
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