Forward not Back: Blair Out

'Sooner rather than later' is not soon enough

‘22% of the electorate voted for Blair’s government, 78% didn’t’

…Out of that 22% who voted for the government, many voters backed the Labour party because of negative views about other parties (52%) rather than enthusiasm for the Labour Party (45%), according to a Populus poll.

If Blair does not set a swift departure date, then a bid to oust Mr Blair as party leader would require a challenger to have the backing of 20% of Labour MPs - 71 out of the 355 elected on Thursday.

Party left-wingers collected the names of 62 MPs prepared to call for a leadership election last year. They are now confident of finding the necessary 72. A vote would then presumably take place at Labour conference involving an electoral college divided into three - MPs, constituency parties and unions.

Some Labour insiders, however, believe a more likely vehicle would be the equivalent of the Tories' "men in grey suits". If Mr Blair lost the confidence of a majority of his MPs, they would tell him his time was up. Such a message could be delivered by the Parliamentary Committee, which is made up of the "shop stewards" representing Labour MPs and Cabinet ministers, who meet Mr Blair every Wednesday.

For more details visit:

• Rebel Yell: Backing Blair
• Labour's rebels study rule book
• Labour leadership rules explained