This is their last chance to get rid of Brown

Twitter and the blogs are ablaze with discussion about the letter that Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt have sent to Labour MPs urging a secret ballot leadership contest. Guido has the full letter here.

I watched the coverage on The Daily Politics earlier as the story unfolded with Nick Robinson saying what he thought was going on even though he had been in the dark as everyone else. James Lansdale who reported from Central Lobby during the programme suggested that Labour MPs were telling him, in private, on lobby terms that they did not want this.

Fraser Nelson is suggesting that the lack of cabinet ministers coming forward (now that the story is over 2 hours old) is noteworthy and he also points out that Alistair Darling is close to Geoff Hoon. Apparently Peter Mandelson is due to appear on the media later on and I await what he has to say with interest. Could this be the moment that he strikes?

What I would say though is that this is absolutely, positively the Labour Party's last chance to get rid of Brown.

If they flunk this one then they fully deserve their fate.