The vital choice lies with his Cabinet colleagues. This, if they choose to seize it, is their moment.
The likes of John Denham and Jack Straw, David Miliband and James Purnell, John Hutton and Hazel Blears, Geoff Hoon and Alistair Darling must spend the next week asking themselves what they will do in the event of a shattering defeat. …. The fact is that Cabinet members have the power and, within a few days, the opportunity to change Labour's course and they now has to decide.
They could choose action. This would involve a Cabinet minister (or ministers) resigning, voicing in public the frustration with Mr Brown's leadership that is common currency among them. Senior resignations would trigger a leadership contest that, with the slightly mysterious emergence of Alan Johnson as the likely winner, would lead in short order to a general election.
In conclusion:
The question is now whether any of them is prepared to act. For a long while they have steadfastly maintained, at least in public, that the cost of removing the Prime Minister from office was greater than the benefit. Perhaps the verdict of the electorate will steel one or more of them to speak the truth about power. But doing nothing is itself a choice. Either way, Labour's future is not just Mr Brown's but the Cabinet's collective responsibility.
Gone are the days when The Times leaders had the authority they once did, but clearly the Murdoch press is preparing the ground for what may happen after next Thursday. The same paper also reports Jack Straw saying:
The Prime Minister is secure in his job. He’s doing a very good job in what are very difficult circumstances. The Prime Minister is not going to be ousted.
As I have discussed many times, The Labour party and the Cabinet have to decide in June if Brown remains. Unless the results next week are heavily distorted due to the expenses scandal, Labour has little option but to back Alan Johnson and then hope he can narrow the Tory lead. There is no alternative.
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