Gordon Brown warned that his 'class war campaign against Tories' in Crewe by-election is backfiring

12 April 2012

Gordon Brown has been warned that "class war" attacks on the Tories are backfiring.

Senior ministers are said to be dismayed over attempts to mock the Conservative candidate in the upcoming Crewe by-election for being a "toff."

Labour activists, dressed in top hats and tails, have been sent to shadow Edward Timpson - son of John Timpson, the founder of the key- cutting chain - on the campaign trail.

Scroll down for more ...

Labour activists, including two dressed as 'toffs,' on the by-election trail in Crewe

But one minister said: "Voters simply aren't concerned if someone went to a posh school and a good number are actually turned off by these sorts of attacks.

"Frankly they make us look puerile. The mayoral elections should have demonstrated to everybody that they don't work."

There was further bad news for the Prime Minister with the disclosure that Cherie Blair is expected to bring forward the publication of her memoirs. Aides fear the book will embarrass Mr Brown by disclosing details of the infamous feud which tarnished Tony Blair's final years in office.

Mrs Blair - who has made no secret of her contempt for her husband's successor - has also agreed to give two newspaper interviews.

It is a further blow to Mr Brown's attempts to keep his party in line, following the publication of a YouGov survey which put Labour 26 points behind the Conservatives.

At just 23 per cent, the party's support is at its lowest ebb since political polling began in the 1930s.

There have been comparisons with John Major's government, which recorded dismal local election results in the mid-1990s - although the worst were still better than Labour's showing last week. The party was then crushed in the 1997 general election.

Deputy leader Harriet Harman will try to steady party nerves on GMTV's Sunday programme by saying: "I absolutely do not accept any suggestion that we are in the same situation as the Major government was."

But there is increasing tension over the "class war" tactics being employed in the by-election campaign in Crewe and Nantwich, previously a safe Labour seat.

The vote in two weeks' time, triggered by the death of veteran MP Gwyneth Dunwoody, is becoming a crunch point for Mr Brown's leadership.

Loss of the seat to the resurgent Tories could prompt some Labour MPs to call publicly on the Prime Minister to quit.

Stephen Carter, Mr Brown's new strategy chief, is understood to have told his boss and senior ministers that 'class war' attacks on the Tories are turning voters off and should be abandoned.

A string of Labour figures - notably Schools Secretary Ed Balls - attacked Boris Johnson during the London mayoral contest over his Eton schooling and membership of the elite Bullingdon Club at Oxford. Mr Johnson went on to oust Ken Livingstone.

Now similar tactics are being employed against family lawyer Mr Timpson, 34.

Mrs Dunwoody's daughter Tamsin, the Labour Party candidate, has dismissed him as "some rich Tory kid."

Election leaflets claimed that Mr Timpson thinks regeneration "is adding another wing to your mansion."

But Jon Cruddas, one of Labour's most influential backbench MPs, argued that attacks on the privileged background of David Cameron and other Conservatives are a mistake.

"There is a shift in Conservatism," he said. "It doesn't fall out the sky with a couple of posh boys.

"They are talking the language of relationships and fraternity and we are talking about precision-bombing messages to specific cohorts of swing voters - it's so old-fashioned."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT