Harriet Harman mass Labour outreach project....

Some excitement about the (weirdly un-bylined) piece on the Daily Mail website declaring Harriet Harman is "campaigning to promote herself as a stand-in Prime Minister should Mr Brown be forced out."

The Daily Mail understands that MPs acting on Miss Harman's behalf have approached backbenchers in recent weeks to test her popularity as a possible leader.

Her office say "she meets people all the time and that will continue". But should Gordon be forced out suddenly, she would - under Labour Party rules - be the stand in, a la Vince Cable. (the rules have changed since Margaret Beckett. Now the Cabinet, in conjunction with the NEC, chose an emergency stand-in leader.)

And the 30-minute preview trailer is out this week: with Gordo in Japan, it's her chance to shine at the Dispatch Box in this week's Wednesday lunchtime deputy slapdown.

People can snigger behind their hands, but something is going on. Not only does there seem to be a 'discrete approach' strategy outlined above, but Team Harriet recently carried out a "survey" of Constituency chair/secretaries. Just to find out how they thought she was doing as their deputy leader mind, not laying the ground for any campaign of course.

Local parties were asked whether she had the right priorities for the party, what the central party could do to more improve communications etc. "I guess HH would just say thats doing her job, but if you add to other things going on, it looks a bit iffy," said a source.

Comments

[Diversity]

Not running. Just toddling along - in that direction. If she is serious about it, she will be high-profile in the Glasgow East campaign.

Labour could do - and is doing - worse. However, in order to be doing just badly, Labour needs to do considerably better. Of the few who might do better, who is willing to finish his/her political career taking the can for doing badly?

A bet on Harman looks shrewd.

[Diversity]

Not running. Just toddling along - in that direction. If she is serious about it, she will be high-profile in the Glasgow East campaign.

Labour could do - and is doing - worse. However, in order to be doing just badly, Labour needs to do considerably better. Of the few who might do better, who is willing to finish his/her political career taking the can for doing badly?

A bet on Harman looks shrewd.

[Diversity]

Not running. Just toddling along - in that direction. If she is serious about it, she will be high-profile in the Glasgow East campaign.

Labour could do - and is doing - worse. However, in order to be doing just badly, Labour needs to do considerably better. Of the few who might do better, who is willing to finish his/her political career taking the can for doing badly?

A bet on Harman looks shrewd.

[Top Tip]

'discreet approach' ? Or do you actually mean 'discrete approach' ?

[Chuck Unsworth]

Probably penned by Dacre himself - hence the lack of by-line. Certainly sounds like his current 'thinking' - if that is the correct term for the process.

[Gary Pepworth]

Under Labour Party rules she would NOT be the automatic stand in.

From the 2008 Labour Party Rule Book:

"E. Procedure in a vacancy
i. When the party is in government and the
party leader is prime minister and the
party leader, for whatever reason,
becomes permanently unavailable, the
Cabinet shall, in consultation with the
NEC, appoint one of its members to serve
as party leader until a ballot under these
rules can be carried out."

[Daniel]

The rules havent changed since Beckett was Leader. But the rules are different in government (similarly no elections to the Cabinet like there are shadow cabinet elections).

If Labour loses the election and the leader is permanently unavailable then the rules are the deputy becomes leader in the interim. But while in government the interim leader of the largest party in parliament has to have the confidence of the cabinet (i.e not George Brown). They are quite sensible rules.