Britain:The British Labour Party yesterday poured scorn on a memo that cast doubt on its chances of winning an election if the chancellor, Gordon Brown, takes over from prime minister Tony Blair next year.
The Mail on Sundaynewspaper said the memo, which suggested Blair's government was seen as a "shambles" and mooted blooding a new generation of leaders, had been compiled by the prime minister's senior advisers.
A spokesman for Mr Blair denied the memo had been written by his staff and said it did not reflect the prime minister's views. But this failed to quell speculation that the document may have been written by someone else in an advisory role.
Mr Blair has said he will step down next year after a decade in power. The memo painted a bleak picture of Labour's chances at the next general election, expected in 2009, against the resurgent Conservative Party led by David Cameron.
"The government is seen as a shambles. The public are clearly preparing to shift to the Conservatives if they prove themselves credible over the next two to three years. Compounding this is an erosion of Gordon Brown's position against David Cameron. We can rally round as a party and attempt to solve the problems facing Britain," the memo said.
"Or we can go for a total renewal, moving to a new generation, effectively forming a new government while still in power."
The memo could be a new embarrassment for Mr Blair, coming days after police questioned him as a witness in an investigation into whether the Labour Party awarded state honours in return for loans.
Deputy prime minister John Prescott described the memo as "colourful reading" and said it should be treated with "disdain" but that it may have been written by someone at a junior level.
"I can't be sure that it might not be a teeny-bopper on the side giving some kind of information and advice," he told the BBC, adding that the Mail on Sunday had its own agenda as a long-standing backer of the Conservatives.
Mr Brown has overseen a decade of steady economic growth in Britain but has often had a tense relationship with Mr Blair. While no other credible leadership challenger has emerged, speculation still rumbles as to whether the Blair camp has one in mind.
The two architects of Labour's three straight election victories seemed to paper over any differences they may have had at the party's annual rally in September.
- (Reuters)