Blairite faces PLP challenge

The chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party is facing a challenge from a backbencher who would use the job to air the grievances of grassroots supporters.

Andrew MacKinlay, the Labour MP for Thurrock, said last night that he had been approached by colleagues who wanted him to stand against Clive Soley, but said that he had not yet made up his mind.

Mr MacKinlay is a member of the Parliamentary Committee, which is made up of backbenchers and senior ministers and which Mr Soley chairs in his role as the leader of Labour's backbenchers.

Some Labour MPs believe Mr Soley has acted as Tony Blair's voice on the back benches. They would like to see a PLP chairman act more as a "shop steward" in the way that the former Conservative 1922 Committee chairman Sir Marcus Fox did, voicing Tory MPs' concerns over the direction of the previous government.

If he decides to stand against Mr Soley, Mr MacKinlay's challenge will be put to Labour MPs in November. He would face a tough fight in a Parliamentary party which is still overwhelmingly loyal.

One PLP source said last night that he did not expect a serious challenge to emerge before the general election.