An attempt to oust British prime minister Gordon Brown ran out of steam today after two ex-cabinet plotters failed to win public support from ministers.
Mr Brown called the challenge to his leadership "a storm in a teacup", saying he had the full backing of his cabinet, although analysts said his authority had been shaken.
Party officials said many Labour politicians were "fire and brimstone angry" over the call from former defence minister Geoff Hoon and former health minister Patricia Hewitt for a secret ballot on Mr Brown's future, fearing it might undermine the party's pre-election campaign. "This move has misjudged the mood here," one aide to Mr Brown told Reuters.
Mr Brown told a local radio phone-in programme he was unfazed by the plot and getting on with doing his job. "This is a bit of a storm in a tea cup," he said. "We are actually dealing with real storms at the moment," referring to the snow affecting Britain at the moment.
A senior minister, linked to yesterday's plot by some British media, dismissed any suggestion that there had been any cabinet involvement. "We're all determined to win the election under Gordon's leadership for the good of the country," Foreign Minister David Miliband, often mentioned as a contender in any leadership challenge, told Sky News.
Mr Hoon admitted late yesterday the plot had failed. Ousting a Labour leader is a long and complex process under the party rules, making a successful coup difficult.
Only months before an election, which the ruling Labour Party is expected to lose, Wednesday's plot could not have come at a worse time for the prime minister, however, especially as his poor opinion poll ratings have been showing signs of improvement.
Labour's popularity has been hit by a deep recession, an increasingly unpopular war in Afghanistan and a scandal over politicians' expenses.
Political analysts say the opposition Conservatives have failed to build up a big enough poll lead to guarantee a parliamentary majority in the election, expected to be held in early May.
Having seen off a second coup attempt in little over six months, Mr Brown's position now looks secure at least until the election, which is expected to end 13 years of Labour rule.
Reuters