Crisis sparks new move to oust Brown

GORDON Brown is facing the renewed threat of a leadership challenge this summer in the wake of the expenses scandal.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson is "seriously considering" a challenge to Brown which could be triggered in just three weeks if – as expected – Labour bombs in the European elections, say senior party sources.

A new poll today shows that two-thirds of voters believe a general election is required immediately to draw a line beneath the expenses scandal.

Labour is bracing itself for a backlash in the European elections on 4 June which, say Labour MPs, may act as the catalyst for a change of leadership.

Allies of Johnson say he is still "reticent" about whether to take on Brown, but he has growing support for a challenge.

With the expenses scandal having taken the party to a new low in the polls, his supporters say that, without a change of leader, they are facing a wipeout of "historic proportions" at the next election.

Labour is now only three points ahead of the Liberal Democrats. A senior figure said: "This is literally about saving the Labour party now. If we don't do anything, this might be the moment when Labour goes the same way as the Liberals in the 1920s. We might not be back in government for 50 years."

Johnson has emerged in recent days to become the only alternative leader. Supporters say only he stands a chance of winning back voters' trust.

Another Johnson supporter said: "One of the issues till now was the lack of an obvious candidate. The fog has now cleared and that makes it very, very dangerous for Gordon Brown."

The MP said that the trigger for a challenge would be if Labour won less than 15 per cent of the vote in the European elections. A challenger would require the support of 20 per cent of Labour MPs. "If we get 15 per cent, I suspect Alan would get the names he needs at a stroke," said another.

Johnson is understood to be coming under growing pressure to make a move. One friend said: "The question is whether he wants to do it."

The moves to back Johnson come as a poll last week found that only 22 per cent of voters said they would back Labour in a Westminster election – the lowest figure ever. The Conservatives are on 41 per cent, with the Lib Dems on 19 per cent.

Johnson, former leader of the Communications Workers Union, was appointed Health Secretary by Brown in 2007.

Supporters say his tough background – he was orphaned aged 12 and started work as a postman – would contrast well with the privileged upbringing of Tory leader David Cameron, boosting Labour's core vote.

Johnson has said before that he is not interested in the top job. In 2007, when mooted as an alternative to Brown, he said his chances were akin to "putting the Beagle on Mars – a nice idea but doomed to failure".

But last weekend, asked if he would go for No 10 if Brown were forced to go, he declared: "I'm not saying there are no circumstances."

The Prime Minister will this week aim to draw a line under the expenses scandal, as campaigning for the European elections steps up.

He has ordered a review of all MPs' claims and last night he warned that any ministers guilty of rule breaches would be axed.

"The bottom line is that any MP who is found to have defied the rules will not be serving in my government," he declared.

But he is widely seen to have been playing catch-up with Cameron, who has set up a panel to decide which claims by his MPs are inappropriate and should be repaid even if technically within the rules.

Meanwhile, some of Labour's biggest donors were last night reported to be abandoning the party, which is nearly £19m in debt, in protest at the expenses' row. Today's poll for BBC2's Daily Politics programme suggests voters believe the only way to draw a line under the scandal is to head to the polling booths.

The ComRes survey found 65 per cent of voters thought an election should be called as soon as possible. A similar number (64 per cent) said they believed politicians "named and shamed" in newspaper revelations should be forced to quit.

However, the poll suggests the controversy may not badly affect turnout at next month's local and Euro elections.

Though 28 per cent said they were less likely to vote as a result, 25 per cent said they were more eager to do so.

In another poll, Labour slumped to neck and neck with the UK Independence Party in the Euro vote. BPIX put the party's expected share at 17 per cent – six points down in a week. The Tories took the same hit, dropping to 30 per cent, while UKIP surged seven.