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Labour to rule on leadership bid Darling urges MPs to back Brown
(about 4 hours later)
Labour Party chiefs are expected to try to block attempts to force Gordon Brown to face a leadership contest. Chancellor Alistair Darling has urged Labour colleagues to "get behind" Gordon Brown who, he said, was the "right person to lead this country".
The party's National Executive Committee is tipped to reject requests for leadership nomination forms from MPs unhappy with the PM's performance. People expected the government to be tackling the "unprecedented turbulence" in the financial markets, he said.
Mr Brown is coming under increasing pressure from within his own party to face a leadership contest. Labour's ruling National Executive Committee is due to discuss rebel MPs' call for leadership nomination forms to be sent out to all Labour MPs.
The latest MP to speak out - an unnamed government minister - has said he may resign his post over the issue. Twelve have requested forms but would need 70 MPs' support for a contest.
Unlikely to succeed On Monday an unnamed, middle-ranking, government minister told the BBC he was considering resigning over Mr Brown's leadership, saying: "You can't go on saying 'I think Gordon Brown is the man to lead us to victory' when you don't believe it."
The rebels want the National Executive Committee (NEC) to send out nomination papers to which would allow them to put forward an alternative to Mr Brown. 'Unprecedented turbulence'
Any challenger would then need the support of 70 Labour MPs to spark a leadership contest.
You can't go on saying 'I think Gordon Brown is the man to lead us to victory' when you don't believe it Unnamed Labour minister
But BBC News political correspondent David Thompson said the NEC was unlikely to agree to the request - "not least because Mr Brown himself will be sitting at the table when the decision is taken."
If the NEC, as expected, refuses to send out nomination papers, reports suggest the issue could end up in the courts.
The Guardian newspaper says that the rebels are aware of legal advice given to past Labour party general secretaries who have been told that the papers must be sent out if members of the parliamentary party ask for them.
'No longer lawful'
Siobhain McDonagh, MP for Mitcham and Morden, told the paper: "The leadership claim this rule has not been used in the past few years, but since when has a law become no longer lawful because it has not been used?
"If they refuse a leadership contest, people will ask 'what has Brown got to be afraid of?'."
Even if his critics fail use the rule book to oust him, the prime minister still faces the prospect of members of his own team walking out on him.
One middle-ranking, unnamed, minister told the BBC he is on the point of resigning because "you can't go on saying 'I think Gordon Brown is the man to lead us to victory' when you don't believe it".
The minister said he was thinking "very hard" about resigning and was close to doing so, but had not come to a firm decision.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said there was talk among Mr Brown's enemies that as many as "five or six" ministers were ready to resign.BBC political editor Nick Robinson said there was talk among Mr Brown's enemies that as many as "five or six" ministers were ready to resign.
Cabinet meeting But Mr Darling told BBC Radio 4's Today programme what concerned people was issues like the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers - which in turn has seen shares fall in leading Asian markets.
It's not known if the leadership issue will be discussed when Mr Brown chairs a special political meeting of the cabinet on Tuesday morning. He said: "What I'd say is this, to my colleagues in particular, if you look at the front pages today, people of this country, as in other parts of the world, are concerned that at this time of unprecedented turbulence, we do everything we can to resolve these problems.
The meeting is being held to discuss issues relating to the forthcoming party conference. FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/default.stm">More from Today programme
So far more than a dozen MPs have called for a contest, although senior Labour figures including former Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett have rallied behind the prime minister. "That's what we should be looking at."
Support for Mr Brown has also come from International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, and former transport minister John Spellar. He added: "I have every confidence in Gordon Brown. I believe he is the right person to lead this country and to lead our party and I know that at the conference next week he will set out his vision for the future."
Mr Brown is holding a political cabinet meeting from 0830 BST, where party issues such as the upcoming conference will be discussed, as well as his regular weekly cabinet meeting.
'Mutual consent'
He is expected to attend at least part of the NEC meeting from 1000 BST.
On Monday it was announced MP Barry Gardiner, one of the 12 requesting nomination papers, had left his position as special envoy for forestry "by mutual consent". It came days after Labour vice chair Joan Ryan and junior whip Siobhain McDonagh were sacked for calling for a leadership challenge.
The NEC is expected to support the party general secretary Ray Collins' refusal to send out nomination forms to all MPs.
He argues that the convention of the last 11 years is that they are only sent out to individual MPs upon request, but the rebels say this breaches the constitution of the party which says nominations "shall be sought each year".
The Guardian newspaper reports that the rebels are aware of legal advice given to past Labour party general secretaries who have been told that the papers must be sent out if members of the parliamentary party ask for them.
MP Siobhain McDonagh, another rebel who was sacked as a government whip on Friday, told the paper: "The leadership claim this rule has not been used in the past few years, but since when has a law become no longer lawful because it has not been used?
"If they refuse a leadership contest, people will ask 'what has Brown got to be afraid of?'."