While the cat is away ?(in Japan)

First Post's Mole has been tunnelling around whilst the Prime Minister is in Japan and reports that

Jockeying for the Labour leadership election has already started among Gordon Brown's Cabinet ministers while the Prime Minister is in Japan for the G8 summit. One Cabinet minister has told friends: "I've even put out feelers to the Campaign Group [the left-wingers led by John McDonnell]. You never know who you might need."

There are a number of reports in the papers this morning that the Prime Minister may be on the tipping point as the Glasgow East by election approaches.

The Telegraph leads with the story that

Labour MPs have warned Gordon Brown that his future as Prime Minister will be at stake when Labour fights a crucial by-election in which the party has been forced to field its fifth choice candidate.

adding

Some MPs have told the Daily Telegraph that there would be no way back for Mr Brown if the party loses the traditional Labour stronghold in its Scottish heartland of Glasgow East

and the Indpendent is also reporting that

A senior member of Gordon Brown's government said there would be moves to replace him in September before Labour's annual conference if Labour loses the Glasgow East by-election or the party remains in the opinion poll doldrums.

Back to the Mole who relays that

There is a serious split developing between those Labour MPs who are resigned to the party losing the next general election to the Tories, and those who don’t want to lose their jobs and will do anything to save them - including going in to tell Brown he must go

.