Blairites manoeuvre to prevent Brown coronation

David Miliband is under mounting pressure to challenge Gordon Brown for the Labour leadership after Blairites opened a campaign to prevent a "coronation" for the Chancellor when Tony Blair stands down.

Charles Clarke and Alan Milburn, both former cabinet ministers, launched a website yesterday calling for debate about Labour's future policies. They denied that their move was aimed at blocking Mr Brown but did not rule out a heavyweight challenger emerging.

Related articles

• Steve Richards: Labour doesn't need a leadership contest - it already has the right candidate in Brown
• The Sketch: Blair, belief and truth in the End Times
• Search the news archive for more stories

Mr Miliband, the 41-year-old Environment Secretary, is the man that ultra-Blairites want to oppose Mr Brown but he is backing the Chancellor. Yesterday's website launch was seen at Westminster as part of an attempt to arm-twist him into running. Mr Miliband said: "I'm very flattered, but my position hasn't changed."

Blairites who want to foment a challenge fear that Mr Brown will be too associated with the Blair era to see off David Cameron's revived Conservative Party at the next general election. They believe Mr Miliband would defeat Mr Cameron.

One prominent Blair ally said: "David Miliband has got to decide whether he takes over the party as Prime Minister or whether he wants to spend the best years of his political life as Leader of the Opposition."

Another option is for Mr Clarke, who was sacked as Home Secretary last May, to stand against Mr Brown. Stephen Byers, another Blairite ex-minister, told the BBC's Daily Politics programme: "The Labour Party is not the Royal Family; we don't go in for coronations. I hope there will be a serious contest for the leader and that means someone who is either in Cabinet or has been in the Cabinet recently and I hope that will happen."

Mr Clarke said: "We need to reinvigorate and revive what we stand for if we are to avoid sleepwalking to disaster." Asked by the London Evening Standard whether the move was a vote of no confidence in Mr Brown's ability to reinvigorate Labour, he replied: "You have to create a situation which acknowledges the truth." Speaking at the launch of the2020vision.org.uk website, Mr Clarke insisted: "It is not about causing trouble for anybody; it is not about building up a putative candidature for somebody. It is not about an intervention in the leadership process."

He expected to support Mr Brown and that the Chancellor would become Prime Minister but added: "I don't rule out any possibilities or circumstances as things arise."

In a coded criticism of Mr Brown, Mr Milburn called for a new style of politics "based on dialogue, not monologue".

While welcoming the Chancellor's moves to speak wider than his Treasury brief, he added: "I think that should be actively encouraged and it shouldn't be limited to just one individual. It should be something that preoccupies the whole of the party."

Although Mr Brown was said to be relaxed about a constructive policy debate, he told the two former ministers on Monday that their initiative was bound to be seen as part of the forthcoming leadership contest and could be divisive.

Miliband - should he stand?

Yes:

Regarded as the only Blairite figure to stand a chance against Gordon Brown.

The Chancellor is 56. David Miliband is 41, a year older than David Cameron.

Mr Miliband may present a more attractive figure to Middle England.

He has less political baggage than Mr Brown.

No:

Mr Brown has an overwhelming head start in the race for the leadership.

Mr Brown has 10 years' experience running the economy extremely successfully.

Mr Miliband is relatively inexperienced as a Cabinet minister.

The Environment Secretary has time on his side to wait for the Labour crown in the years to come.