Minister refutes rumours of Labour campaign split
A Cabinet minister has denied reports that Gordon Brown is preparing to oust Alan Milburn as Labour’s chief election strategist.
Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson insisted that the two men would “work as a team.”
Mr Johnson’s comments came after the Sunday Business newspaper claimed that the Chancellor had been asked to take charge of Labour’s media strategy, with reports that Mr Milburn would move to a more behind the scenes role.
“I think we are extraordinarily lucky to have Gordon Brown and Alan Milburn,” Mr Johnson told BBC 1’s Breakfast with Frost.
“Gordon Brown will play a central role in any election campaign.”
Dismissing media reports about tension between the two men, Mr Johnson added: “They were wrong when it was said that Milburn was ousting Brown, and they are wrong now if they are saying that Brown is ousting Milburn. They are working as a team.”
There has been continued speculation that Labour backbenchers are dissatisfied with the way Mr Milburn has handled the party’s campaign to date, amid fears that the Conservatives have put the Government on the back foot with a series of policy announcements.
It is reported that some Labour MPs have been clamouring for Mr Brown to take a bigger role ahead of the expected election on May 5.
