London: British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown on Thursday dismissed the attempted challenge to his
leadership as a "storm in a teacup".
The embattled Prime Minister said he was "leading from
the front" and would say "What I think" even if at times it
proved to be unpopular.
Earlier, his spokesman said Brown enjoyed the full
support of his cabinet.
In a deeply embarrassing challenge to his authority,
former ministers Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt yesterday
called for a ballot of governing Labour Party lawmakers on
whether Brown should remain their leader.
But Brown, in his first comments on the plot, said:
"It's not going to take up much of my time and hasn't,
certainly, taken up much of my time".
"This is a bit of a storm in a teacup" he told BBC
Radio Solent.
"We are actually dealing with real storms at the
moment," he said, referring to the snow storming afflicting
most part of the country.
In their letter to all Labour lawmakers, Hoon, former
Defence Secretary and former Heath Secretary Hewitt said the
party was "deeply divided" over whether Brown should be
leader.
"Many colleagues have expressed their frustration at
the way in which this question is affecting our political
performance," they wrote.
The letter gained early support from a handful of
persistent Brown critics, but no major Labour figure backed
the move, and Hoon admitted last Wednesday that it had failed.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 07, 2010, 23:18