Ben Bradshaw’s advice for Brown

It’s the question that won’t go away for Gordon Brown: should he – will he –  take part in a televised leaders’ debate?  On this weekend’s Straight Talk, Andrew Neil takes the opportunity to quiz Ben Bradshaw about his views on the matter.  Here’s how the Culture Secretary responds:

“I don’t think [Brown]’s got anything to lose by doing that ….  My advice to him would say, I think you’ve got the arguments, you’ve made the right decisions, you could demolish that guy.”

Like Mandelson’s interventions before now, Bradshaw’s advice will slightly raise the pressure on Brown to take part in a debate.  But the first half of it also chimes with what a lot of Labour folk are saying around Westminster.  With Brown on the ropes, if not already out cold, they feel that he can’t afford to decline what may be one of the few game-changers he has left open to him.