To sack or not to sack Brown

The former conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo warns in The Sunday Times against deposing Gordon Brown: "David Miliband's egotistical bid to oust the prime minister could destroy the government's remaining credibility, which will hardly help Britain or Labour through the economic crisis. If Brown is dumped, it could lead to divisions in the Labour party deep enough to exclude it from office for a decade or more. Whether Brown survives or is knifed by his colleagues, the Tories stand to gain. ... By not sacking him, the prime minister appears weak and vacillating. Had Blair dared to dismiss his ever-troublesome chancellor he might still be in power today and Brown would never have had to prove his inadequacy. ... if Miliband succeeds in toppling Brown, Labour can anticipate almost a generation of feuding. ... if Labour ruptures once more, then the Conservatives could look forward not just to an election win but also to another era of political supremacy."

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