Lord Mandelson to become MP and Labour leader

[Sheilbh]

Secret plan for Lord Mandelson to 'return to Commons' in Labour safe seat

By Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor
Published: 9:30PM BST 01 Aug 2009
Lord Mandelson is being urged by a group of Labour MPs to give up his peerage and fight the next election in a safe seat in north-east England, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.


Blairites want Lord Mandelson to return to the House of Commons Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The plan, which is said to "intrigue" the Business Secretary, could see him become a potential candidate to replace Gordon Brown as Labour leader.

It has been hatched by Labour MPs who are all former supporters of Tony Blair, and who now see Lord Mandelson of the best hope of keeping the party New Labour in the event of an election defeat and the likely stepping down of Mr Brown.

Lord Mandelson quit his former parliamentary seat of Hartlepool in 2004 to become a European Commissioner. The twice-resigned former Cabinet minister then made a sensational return to front-line British politics last October when Mr Brown made him Business Secretary.

Since then his powers have grown greatly – particularly after he thwarted an attempted coup to replace Mr Brown in June and was rewarded with the title "First Secretary of State". He now heads a beefed-up department with 11 ministers and his tentacles stretch right across Whitehall.

The plan depends on a change in the law to allow peers to resign from the House of Lords, which has already been announced by Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, to be speeded up.

Lord Mandelson would then become Mr Mandelson once again – and declare himself available to stand as a Labour candidate in the general election, which must be held by next June.

His supporters hope Hilary Armstrong, the 63-year-old former chief whip, could be persuaded to back Lord Mandelson, her friend and political ally, as her successor in North West Durham, which has a Labour majority of 13,443.

Ms Armstrong recently announced her intentions to step down from the constituency she has represented for 22 years.

A senior Labour MP said: "We think the law allowing Peter to become an MP again could be on the statute book within months. He would then be able to renounce his peerage and look for a seat. Hilary's would be ideal as he is familiar with the North East and there are many like-minded colleagues with constituencies up there.

"Peter has been a hugely impressive figure since he came back to the Cabinet. He has mended fences with Gordon. While it seemed impossible he could ever be Labour leader only months ago, it looks more plausible now."

Another Labour MP said of Lord Mandelson's leadership potential: "There must be a part of Peter, however small, that thinks he could do it. I know he finds thoughts of a Commons comeback intriguing."

Last week in a BBC interview the Business Secretary did not rule out going for the top job but added: "That one might be a comeback too many."

If the peer joined a future leadership contest he would be likely to be among a large field, including Harriet Harman, the deputy Labour leader, and Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, as well Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary and Ed Miliband, the Climate Change Secretary.

Supporters of David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, could change their allegiance to Lord Mandelson as the most credible "keeper of the Blairite flame".

An ally of Lord Mandelson last night said any possible return to the Commons was "speculation" and added: "Peter is perfectly happy serving the Prime Minister, the government and the party in his current job."

[Gambrinus]

Heh, "Labour" and "safe seat", what could possibly go wrong...?

[Martinus]

I'm happy to see the Brownite "moral revolution" is over. The Labour fares the best when they are led by conniving and immoral bastards.

[Neil]

I'm happy to see the Brownite "moral revolution" is over. The Labour fares the best when they are led by conniving and immoral bastards.

Don't be so sure.  Never underestimate a leftist party's willingness to engage in infighting after an electoral defeat.