What is it with the contemporary Labour party and its inability to hold it together at summer time? John Prescott has blasted Harriet Harman, his successor as Labour deputy leader, for the latter’s assertion over the weekend that Labour should never again be led by an all-male team at the top:
“I don’t agree with all male leaderships. Men cannot be left to run things on their own. I think it’s thoroughly bad to have a men-only leadership.”
When I first saw the latest “splits” reports, I suspected it might be down to the sort of “press prattle” that Prescott so frequently condemns. But I was surprised to see the quotes were from an open letter, attacking Harman for failing to focus Labour on its fight against the Tories.
“Quotes like this just raise leadership issues once again just at a time when we should all be pulling together and defending our record,” Prescott says. He has a point – Labour surely has no choice now but to rally round – but his message, signed off with “Love”, is surely counter-productive. Prescott is a heavyweight, respected by party members and so himself has a responsibility to maintain unity. If there is one way to give “legs” to a Labour-splits story, it’s to launch a direct internal attack of this sort.
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