Labour MPs Will Join Fight In US To Dislodge Bush

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 7-25-2004 | Melissa Kite

[blam]

Labour MPs will join fight in US to dislodge Bush

By Melissa Kite, Deputy Political Editor
(Filed: 25/07/2004)

Senior Labour MPs are clamouring to join the American presidential campaign of John Kerry this summer in a direct snub to the alliance between Tony Blair and President George W. Bush.

The avowed intent of a dozen MPs to dislodge Mr Bush threatens to embarrass Mr Blair at a difficult time in the war against terrorism. Yesterday one of the Labour MPs denounced Mr Bush as "a complete and utter menace to the future security of the world".

The group, which includes the former ministers Nick Brown and George Mudie, close friends of Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, is in talks with Mr Kerry's team with a view to campaigning on a freelance basis. Their plans are a problem for Mr Blair because he had hoped to reposition himself to prepare for the possibility of a Kerry victory with more subtlety.

The Prime Minister will attempt to build bridges with the American Democrats this week by sending three allies to the Democratic convention in Boston.

Ann Taylor, the former Commons Leader, Ross Cranston, the former Solicitor General, and Pat McFadden, the Downing Street political secretary, are travelling to the four-day "naming" ceremony. Douglas Alexander, the Cabinet Office minister, had also made plans to attend but last night his office refused to confirm whether or not he was going.

They form what ought to be a cross-party delegation, but which for the first time is made up entirely of Labour figures. A Tory MP and Democrat supporter, Simon Burns, had applied to join the group but was told he could not. The Labour Party said that the Democrats had called for an all-Labour delegation this year because the Republican Party had invited only Tories to their convention.

Martin Salter, the MP for Reading West, said he had had discussions with Democrats Abroad about taking about a dozen Labour MPs to campaign for Mr Kerry.

Mr Salter said: "I personally regard George Bush as a complete and utter menace to the future security of the world and the sooner he is out of office the better. I don't think you would find the Labour Party in Parliament or the country awash with George Bush supporters."

Mr Salter said he was looking forward to helping "our sister party" in America. "I just feel so strongly about what Bush has done in Iraq and on Kyoto and what he is trying to do in Iran that I don't want to sit about feeling powerless, I want to go and do something. Talking to Democrats there is a real sense that the tide is turning and the British Labour Party is still held in high regard by them."

The Prime Minister has been forced to tread a fine line between upsetting Mr Bush and ensuring that the Government begins to rebuild relations with the Democratic Party, which had been Labour's natural ally. During President Bill Clinton's tenure, dozens of Labour MPs would decamp to America for the Democratic Convention.

Mr Clinton will be the main speaker tomorrow on the opening night of the naming ceremony which is set to attract 35,000 Democrats.

In public, Mr Blair has striven to remain neutral in the presidential race. When pressed in the Commons last week about whether he would stand shoulder to shoulder with a Kerry administration, Mr Blair said: "I will always make sure this country remains a strong ally of the United States." He refused to take sides against Mr Bush, saying: "I don't think it is very wise of me to intrude in the American elections."

However, many believe that it is now imperative that Mr Blair establishes closer ties with Mr Kerry. This is all the more pressing because Gordon Brown is understood to have maintained good contact with the Kerry camp.

Meanwhile, senior Tories are angry at being excluded from the trip. While the party is seen as traditionally close to the Republicans, several of its MPs are enthusiastic about the Democrats. Alan Duncan, a friend of Mr Kerry, is said to have offered his campaigning services to defeat Mr Bush.

[VeniVidiVici]

Famous line from a movie:

Labour is as Labor does.

[cincy29]

Not at all. They can come over here and say "vote for kerry" all they want. They just can't contribute money. I hope kerry gives them a nice high-profile spot in his campaign so Americans can hear all the foreign accents of his endorsers. He should bring over the rest, too -- from Cuba, france and Iran.

The best thing possible for the Bush campaign would be to have a bunch of foreigners going on TV and such, talking about Kerry. That would go over sooooo well in Middle America.

I am laughing to myself at the image of some MP in a suit ringing my doorbell asking me to "kindly consider voting for Mr. Kerry."

[mathurine]

We don't need any British commies coming over here to diddle themselves publicly in our politics. Of course they will speak and write English so poorly that no one in the United States will hear a word they say, and their welfare state whining will seem ridiculous. Limey go home!

[Dr.Deth]

Sod off, bloody MPs

[itsahoot]

Isn't it illegal for foriegn citizens to get involved in US elections?

Of course not, we have several million illegals who vote her every year.

[shaggy eel]

,,, an indication of how little is happening in Blighty now they're governed by Brussels for most decisions? They're slimming down their armed forces so it would stand to reason that a very top heavy British Parliament should be next for slimming.