Back to reality for Labour

The past three weeks has seen a hiatus in what you would term real politics yet next week sees the European and local elections.

There is quite a remarkable leader in the Times this morning which suggests that Gordon Brown might have only days as Prime Minister.

A week today the country goes to the polls for European and local elections that will almost certainly result in an historic drubbing for Gordon Brown's Labour Party.

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The likes of John Denham and Jack Straw, David Miliband and James Purnell, John Hutton and Hazel Blears, Geoff Hoon and Alistair Darling must spend the next week asking themselves what they will do in the event of a shattering defeat.

For the paper the choice is clear.Either some must resign and probably trigger an leadership campaign which will be won by Alan Johnson or they close ranks around Brown on the basis that economic recovery will save him in 2010.

The question is now whether any of them is prepared to act. For a long while they have steadfastly maintained, at least in public, that the cost of removing the Prime Minister from office was greater than the benefit. Perhaps the verdict of the electorate will steel one or more of them to speak the truth about power.