Gordon Brown was accused last night of desperately attempting to buy off a deadly cabinet revolt, after it emerged that Labour's chief whip, a key player in any attempt to oust him, is being lined up for a plum job in Europe.
Geoff Hoon has come under heavy pressure, alongside the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, to lead a delegation asking Brown to quit for the good of his party. But it has emerged that Hoon is hot favourite to succeed Peter Mandelson as European Commissioner next year.
Leading Labour rebels who want Brown out fear that the post is a prize being dangled in front of the passionately pro-European chief whip, who would normally be expected to advise a leader on whether he has irretrievably lost the confidence of MPs.
'Our understanding is that Geoff is being bought,' said one leading rebel. And in a sign that backbenchers' frustration is reaching dangerous levels, another senior Labour MP accused the cabinet more widely of being 'bloody cowards' for not revolting.
