Labour plays down leader bid talk

The move will increase pressure on Gordon Brown

Labour officials have played down talk of a challenge to Gordon Brown after a handful of MPs sought details about the nomination process for party leader.

Labour confirmed they have had letters from a "small number" of MPs asking why no nomination papers for leader were issued ahead of the party conference.

Labour sources said such papers had not been posted out for 10 years and were freely available on its website.

It would take 70 MPs to trigger a potential leadership contest.

The development will keep the pressure on Gordon Brown whose efforts to rally the government with recent housing and energy initiatives have been criticised by the trade unions and some backbenchers.

Rumblings

A number of Labour MPs have been particularly upset with the government's decision not to pursue a windfall tax on energy companies to help people cope with rising fuel bills this winter.

It would take 70 Labour MPs - 20% of the Parliamentary party - to nominate an alternative to a sitting prime minister before the request for a contest had to be considered.

Once the candidate had accepted the nomination, the process would then have to be approved in a vote of party members at a special session of conference for it to go ahead.

Labour party officials said they had received a similar number of requests for information about leadership nominations in previous years.

It has become fashionable to have a go at Gordon at the moment but that will burn itself out Jack Straw, Justice Secretary

It comes at the end of a week in which Mr Brown has sought to reassert his authority after a summer of rumblings about his leadership.

In an article released ahead of Labour's conference later this month, Mr Brown pledged to "confront" personal challenges and said the UK would emerge a "stronger and fairer" country from the economic downturn.

In a newspaper article on Friday, Cabinet colleague Jack Straw said the next election was "still Labour's to lose" despite polls showing the party consistently trailing the Conservatives.

The Justice Secretary backed Mr Brown but urged the party to reconnect with the priorities of voters in "Middle Britain".

"We have already changed our leader and it was the right change," he said, referring to Mr Brown succeeding Tony Blair last year.

"It has become fashionable to have a go at Gordon at the moment but that will burn itself out."