PA 14 Nov 96 21:43 GMT S9627 Copyright 1996 PA. Copying, storing, redistribution, retransmission, publication, transfer or commercial exploitation of this information is expressly forbidden. By Gavin Cordon, Political Correspondent, PA News 'CASSANDRA' LABOUR MP SAVAGES BLAIR Tony Blair was today the subject of a scathing attack from his own backbenches. The Labour leader was warned he could be the "shortest serving Prime Minister of this century" with his own MPs queuing up to replace him with Robin Cook in a "palace coup" after the General Election. The dire warning came from the pen of an unnamed "senior Labour MP" who said he - or she - had never known fellow backbenchers to be so "bitterly and personally critical" of their leader. The MP, said to be an ex-frontbencher, was writing in this week's Tribune newspaper which is reviving the old Cassandra column - the pen name of the Daily Mirror's former political columnist. "Behind the facade of unity and discipline the reality is that Tony Blair's position as leader of the Labour Party is weaker than any leader in memory," the new Cassandra wrote. Mr Blair, the column said, was out of step with Labour MPs - even those who had backed for the leadership - in a minority in the Shadow Cabinet on key issues and had "squandered" the traditional support of the trades union barons. "This is Blair's weakness. He knows he can ignore his habitual (hard left) Campaign Group critics but is unaware of just how widespread is the dissatisfaction and outright anger at the style of his leadership and policies among those MPs who put him in the leadership," the column said. "Starting with the anger over the choice of a school for his son and running up to the expensive irrelevance of the Road to the Manifesto, I have never known Labour MPs to be so bitterly and personally critical of their leader." The column said that within weeks of a Labour election victory, the party could be plunged into "civil war" with "major fissures" opening up on Europe, the minimum wage, devolution and trades union rights. "No one but a fool would choose to fight on so many fronts yet all these issues will come to a head by the end of next year and could leave the leader weakened and isolated beyond recovery," it said. "With Robin Cook having built the strongest parliamentary reputation since John Smith, there will be no shortage of MPs during next year's summer of discontent prepared to accept that the damage caused by a palace coup will be less in the long r un than the greater risk of being led by a leader whose policies and personal beliefs are shared by only a minority of the Parliamentary Labour Party." The return of Cassandra, which is due to appear tomorrow, is likely to provoke intense speculation at Westminster as to the identity of its author - particularly if future columns are as critical of the leadership. Mr Blair declined to comment on the Tribune article tonight. Questioned by reporters in Paris he said only: "I don't know who wrote it."
