Rt Hoon James Purnell4PM: Drinks Party in Manchester?

20:19 HAVE BEEN DELAYING posting this, playing 'phone tag with some well-placed information holders, "punked" Guido called it off at 20:27, but what the hell. Here goes.

Well I never. At 1pm Guido Fawkes had an exclusive story about a drinks party being organised by young James Purnell at Manchester Town Hall, and at 6:30pm Guido's source claimed that Purnell had told the throng - of Labour MP's parliamentary researchers from the North West - that he was willing to stand against Brown if no-one else comes forward at the PLP tonight, or by 12 noon tomorrow.

Guido had earlier reported that Team Miliband and Team Johnson are getting disillusioned at the lack of action. Close to being stood down until September at least I'd guess. But who's to say anything of this is anything but arrant GuF? That Guido is now an annex to the lobby, owned and being used like all the others?

Had a good long chat with my MP Tony Lloyd last night and early morning. And I'm sure that Gary Gibbon's information is sound. Most of the rebels have spilled their guts already. There's Milburn to come of course. But otherwise they're spent. And while Lloydy will no doubt call Charles Clarke, or some other uber-muppet, he'll mostly stick with the nervous tiddlers. Sally Keeble would be well worth a punt I'd say.

The room may even be too full for the big hitters to get in. And, be serious, that Hazel Blears is unlikely to catch anyone's eye in a standing room only context.

Being as Hazel's Hotmail Hoonery cloak and dagger rebels are several dim MPs short of a light bulb changing contingent cabal, never mind PM changing, JP may have to take a rain check. Scattered showers for the next week. Then relatively settled weather until May 2010? Scorchio!

INTERESTING: That Fawkes still hasn't latched on to any of the "bloody marvelous" (tm D Draper), if hard to prove, stories about one of the Secret Seven resigners ...

INTERESTING TOO 21:46: Hopi Sen has spotted that the plotting is loose, to say the least ... we've been here before actually, the Brownies were laughable too, back in the day.