Top Allies Look to Unseat Gordon Brown

Several of the leading members of Gordon Brown's government will try to oust him as prime minister, reports the Times of London. Two contenders have emerged in a possible leadership challenge: David Miliband, the youthful foreign secretary allied with Tony Blair; and Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour Party. The paper says that a cabinet revolt will probably take place in September, after the summer break.

Although ministers have publicly insisted that they remain loyal to Brown, privately they are preparing the ground for an all-out battle. Watching television coverage of Labour's shock defeat in a special election last week, Harman allegedly said, "This is my moment." While the PM might reshuffle his cabinet after his vacation, a number of ministers may refuse to serve in a Brown government.
(More David Miliband stories.)