Labour floats third way – a November poll

November general election raised as option

Sunday, 23, Sep 2007 12:00

Gordon Brown has said he will use this year's Labour conference to launch a wealth of new policies, but attention continues to be fixed on the possibility of an autumn election.

The official line from the prime minister is he is getting on with the job of running the country, but the word from Labour strategists is they are ready for a snap election.

Mr Brown has become adept at artfully sidestepping questions over a likely poll date, including rejecting the offer to firmly rule out an October election and quash all speculation.

In an interview with today's Times to mark the launch of the Labour party conference, he responded to a question about election timing by saying he was focused on "getting on with the job…focusing on the work in hand."

However, Labour strategists have made senior Tories fully aware the party is ready to fight an autumn election.

The end of the summer holidays has seen Mr Brown regain his firm lead in the opinion polls and the party has revealed a number of donations in recent weeks, indicating the prime minister has the resources to fight an election.

Labour planners were buoyed this week by the by-election in Worcester, which returned a Labour council and the message that 'Worcester women' – identified as a necessary electoral force by Tony Blair - are behind the new prime minister.

In a further attempt to unnerve the Conservatives, Brown aides have now indicated an early November election could be a possibility, meaning the Tories must be ready for an announcement throughout their conference in Blackpool next week.

However, silence from Mr Brown will also leave his own party guessing, risking a Labour party conference dominated by election speculation rather than policy vision.

At last week's political Cabinet meeting, ministers were reportedly divided over the merits of an October or May poll, although how Mr Brown weighed the arguments is by no means clear.

The pro-autumn camp argue holding a poll now would allow Mr Brown to capture the momentum that has built around his leadership and deny David Cameron the opportunity of readying his own party for election.

Others argue it would be more prudent to wait until May, especially with the latest economic unease and persistent outbreaks of foot and mouth.

Despite Labour strategists' insistence they are ready to fight an October election, it remains unverified whether the party has managed a full financial recovery. On a further practical note, Labour is still recruiting for many of the staff needed for an election campaign.

A misjudged early election could see the prime minister lose his strong parliamentary majority, impeding his ability to make his own mark on policy in a painful blow to a man who has waited more than ten years for the top job.

In an interview with the Observer today, David Miliband said Mr Brown is planning for another ten years in power, suggesting he will be loathe to risk becoming Britain's second shortest serving prime minister.

Mr Miliband told the newspaper Labour needs more time to push through its policies, having not solved all the country's problems in ten years.

He said: "The second decade of New Labour will deliver a richer, fairer, more confident country than today in the same way Britain is a richer, fairer, confident country than it was ten years ago."