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WORLD> Europe
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Britain PM faces showdown with rebels
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-08 22:47 And changing leaders - and thus prime ministers - would increase pressure to call a national election quite soon because the new leader, probably the affable Home Secretary Alan Johnson, would be Britain's second consecutive unelected prime minister. Brown himself was selected by the party to replace Blair in 2007. Some party heavyweights are rallying around the Brown. Labour's deputy leader, Harriet Harman, said the party needed to unite behind the prime minister. "There has been turbulence, undoubtedly, but our reaction needs to be and will be not to turn in on ourselves, not to be disunited, but to think about what we have got to do, what our obligation is," she said. "Our obligation is to sort out the economy and protect people and sort out the expenses problem and we will do both these things." If rebels back down, Brown is likely to remain in office at least for another year - waiting to call an election until June, 2010 - the last possible moment - hoping for a change of political fortune.
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