Skipper

I see two Cabinet members have apparently stuck their heads above the parapet today. First up is Ed Miliband, Climate Change Secretary, and the second is Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary. Miliband has often been spoken of as a more compelling candidate for leadership than his brother David, who made such a poor effort of nudging Gordon aside last autumn. Ed is alleged to have a more natural political style and maybe he thinks the Miliband family deserves a second run at the top job. Johnson, however has long been the bookies' favourite and seems to have the qualities- modesty, competence, political savvy, good television manner and a back story to die for- needed to lead the Labour Party.

Miliband suggests a major programme of constitutional reform will be needed to restore voter faith in politics but his proposals are quite modest: more powerful select committees, abolish antique language and clothing in Commons, return to twice weekly PMQs and extend parliamentary sitting times. What is interesting is that Johnson seems to have gone for a heavyweight transformation: a pitch on PR. He suggests, in a novel twist, a referendum on the issue should be run alongside the next general election. My favouite columnist Peter Riddell suggests, like the wide old fox he is, Johnson has a particular eventuality in mind:

If the outcome of the general election were a hung Parliament, but voters backed AV plus, there would be a strong incentive for the Lib Dems to support Labour, since the Tories would oppose the change. So what Mr Johnson is really talking about is an attempted Labour rescue plan or lifeboat in the face of the storm of public disillusionment.