Purnell on manoeuvres

A fraternal friend of Coffee House is in touch to say that at a recent TUC drinks-do James Purnell stayed longer than any other minister and shook hands with everyone he could. Now, one would not think of Purnell with his snazzy suits and Blairite politics as someone who would seek out the company of the brothers. But needs must, the Unions will have a third of the votes in any Labour leadership contest and any new Labour Prime Minister would need a large amount of Union money to finance a general election campaign. Combine this with the fact that Purnell has recently shaved off his sideburns and one might conclude that he is taking Fraser Nelson’s advice rather seriously.

There are at least a couple of good reasons for the youthful Purnell not to wait until after the next election. If Labour lose in a landslide, as they probably will with Brown in charge, then the Parliamentary party—who have with the party’s MEPs a third of the votes—will move decisively to the left.