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Greater Manchester MP to challenge Brown

22/02/2007

Oldham West and Royton MP Michael Meacher has launched his bid to succeed Tony Blair as the leader of the Labour Party, insisting that Chancellor Gordon Brown's ascension to the role is not "a foregone conclusion".

The former environmental minister expressed his confidence that he could win the support of the required number of the 44 Labour MPs to mount a challenge to Mr Brown.

Announcing his intentions at Westminster, he said the total withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, opposition to the Trident nuclear submarine programme and a narrowing of the wealth gap, were the principal foundations of his leadership bid.

Mr Meacher confirmed that his candidacy bid was a challenge from the "centre-left" of the Labour Party.

Despite the 67 year-old holding a position in Tony Blair's shadow cabinet, he has not held a held a high-ranking cabinet job since Labour won the first of its three terms in 1997.

Apart from Mr Brown, the only other rival to Mr Meacher's candidature is Labour MP John McDonnell.





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