Johnson draws a line in the sand

It seems clear to me that Alan Johnson has placed a flag in the sand over his prospects for the leadership of the Labour party with his interview in this morning's Times.

Despite the fact that those close to home say it is not intended as a challenge to Gordon Brown,his article setting out the fundamentals of changing the political climate must be seen as the start of a post Brown Labour landscape.

Peter Hoskin writing on Coffee House this morning says that

While Johnson makes sure to mention Gordon Brown is his article ("Again the Prime Minister is leading..."), the measures he outlines are too strident, and the topic too important, for this to be anything other than an attempt to grab the limelight. And while I'm not struck by Johnson's proposed solution - a tweaked version of proportional representation - there are certainly benefits to running on this kind of platform.