Tuesday round up of plotting and intrigue

Lancashire seems to be the latest hotbed according to the Independent which reports

A "Lancashire plot" against the Prime Minister appeared to be gathering pace as two backbenchers from the North-west of England urged him to step down and a third questioned his survival chances.

The two back benchers are Gordon Prentice, the MP for Pendle and Graham Stringer, MP for Manchester Blackley who have both called for the Pm to step down

In the Mail it is reported that plans are afoot for a coronation of David Milband and Alan Johnson

David Miliband and Alan Johnson are being urged by senior colleagues to forge a 'dream ticket' in a Labour leadership contest.
The move comes as Gordon Brown faces open calls to step down in the interests of the party.
Ministers and MPs who want the beleaguered Prime Minister to quit appear to be coalescing around the idea of Foreign Secretary Mr Miliband as Prime Minister with Health Secretary Mr Johnson as his deputy.

The Guardian beleives all is calm

The Labour party appeared to rally round its troubled leader yesterday, as MPs sought to deny the existence of a list of names being sent to the cabinet calling on them to urge Gordon Brown to quit.

although it adds

A group of around 30 so-called "moderate" MPs were reported to be compiling a letter to send to the cabinet urging its members to persuade the prime minister to go. However, MPs reported to have signed the list denied knowledge of it when contacted by the Guardian

But all this doesn't actually matter if you see the latset poll in the Times which suggests

Ministers plotting to remove Gordon Brown receive a warning that barely half the electorate (52 per cent) believe that it would improve the party’s fortunes. This is roughly the same as when the question was asked last in May, despite increased speculation about his future.

The poll by Populus shows

Labour is on 27 per cent, down one point on the last Populus poll three weeks ago, and about the level it has been for the past three months. This is the lowest since the early 1980s.
The Conservatives are on 43 per cent — up two points — with the Liberal Democrats down one point at 18 per cent. Other parties are unchanged on 12 per cent