UK: Former British foreign secretary Mr Robin Cook has warned that failure in Iraq could break Mr Tony Blair's premiership. And he says Chancellor Gordon Brown - Mr Blair's presumed eventual successor - has prime ministerial qualities "in spades".
Mr Cook's intervention, just days after Deputy Prime Minister Mr John Prescott appeared to reopen the leadership issue, confirmed the febrile state of the British Labour Party ahead of the European, local and London elections on June 10th.
In an interview with the London Evening Standard yesterday Mr Cook stressed there was no evidence of a revolt by Labour MPs against Mr Blair, while directly linking the Prime Minister's fate to unfolding events in Iraq. "It would be wrong to say that this [the leadership\] is an issue in which there is any sense of initiative among MPs," he said, before adding: "I'm sure I speak for the great mass of them when I say that our preferred option would be for Tony to come through and be a success, though that does depend on Iraq coming right."
Mr Cook described the war in Iraq as "a personal tragedy" for Mr Blair, which had overshadowed "a tremendous record of achievement" by his government on the domestic front.
And he expressed surprise at Mr Prescott's comment earlier in the week, when he allowed that "events" could derail Mr Blair's premiership. "I understand what John was saying," said Mr Cook. "I think many of us remain surprised that he said it."
Downing Street was dismayed by the inevitable interpretation of Mr Prescott's latest remarks, following his suggestion two weeks ago that the "plates" were shifting and that cabinet ministers were jockeying for position in anticipation of a leadership contest. Mr Cook said he was "not looking" for appointment under a future Brown premiership. He has been mentioned as a possible successor to Mr Prescott in a Brown cabinet which would seek to reunite Labour after the divisions over Iraq.
At the same time he confirmed that the years of reported personal enmity between himself and the Chancellor were firmly behind them as he said "Yes", Mr Brown would make a good prime minister. "Frankly, you are not looking for somebody with whom you'd like to have a pint in the lounge bar. You're looking for someone who knows how to run the economy, who has the skills to run parliament and who can talk to other international leaders. These are the qualities that should concern us and I think Gordon has got all of them in spades."