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| Labour 'must unite behind Brown' | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Labour must "unite" behind Gordon Brown following the loss of one of its safest seats in the Glasgow East by-election, the Scottish secretary has said. | |
| Des Browne told the BBC the prime minister and party had to "hold our nerve" and respond to the economic "challenges" facing the UK. | |
| But the government had to "listen" to voters' concerns, he added. | |
| Mr Brown is to meet trade union leaders and activists later to discuss Labour's policies for the next general election. | |
| His speech at that event - the National Policy Forum in Warwick - is expected at 1100 and is being seen as a key moment in Mr Brown's efforts to turn round party morale. | |
| 'Cost of living' | |
| The Glasgow East seat became vacant with the resignation on health grounds of Labour's David Marshall. | |
| The SNP won the by-election by 365 votes, overturning a Labour majority of 13,507. | |
| FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme | |
| It follows the recent loss of the Crewe and Nantwich seat, the London mayoralty and poor results in local elections. | |
| Mr Browne, who is also defence secretary, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that people's economic concerns - such as high fuel and food prices - were behind the loss of Glasgow East. | |
| He said: "It's directly related to the cost of living." | |
| Mr Browne added: "We do need to listen. And we need to do more of the sorts of things that we've been doing to respond to people to make them feel that there is a sense of fairness about the way in which we are dealing with the challenges that they are facing day to day." | |
| He said: "People do not think that the steps we are taking at the moment are adequately responding to the circumstances that they feel. | |
| "We need to build on what we have been doing - and we planned to do that in any event - but we also need to hold our nerve and hold the course on the longer-term issues." | |
| There was also a "Scottish context" to the defeat, with Labour currently lacking a leader in Scotland and having lost control of the country's parliament. | |
| Rights demand | |
| At the Warwick conference later, the unions, which now account for the vast majority of Labour Party funding, are expected to put 100 demands to the government seeking new rights for workers. | |
| The three-day forum will be considering new ideas and amendments to current policies. | |
| It brings together 55 Constituency Labour Parties and 30 trade unions, as well as other socialist movements. | |
| It divides policy into six areas - Britain in the world; communities; crime and justice; education; health; prosperity. | It divides policy into six areas - Britain in the world; communities; crime and justice; education; health; prosperity. |
| BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said the demands expected to be made by the unions included paying young apprentices a minimum wage, more time off for carers and universal broadband access. | BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said the demands expected to be made by the unions included paying young apprentices a minimum wage, more time off for carers and universal broadband access. |
| Call for sacking | Call for sacking |
| When deciding its strategy and formulating its general election manifesto, Labour uses a three-year cycle of discussions and debates. | When deciding its strategy and formulating its general election manifesto, Labour uses a three-year cycle of discussions and debates. |
| Labour stunned in Glasgow East This event is the final such meeting in the current cycle, and it is therefore considered an important step ahead of the party's annual conference in Manchester in September. | Labour stunned in Glasgow East This event is the final such meeting in the current cycle, and it is therefore considered an important step ahead of the party's annual conference in Manchester in September. |
| Labour said on its website that the democratic nature of this weekend's forum stood "in stark contrast to a Tory Party devoid of democratic policy-making, which has relied on policy commission run by figures from the failed Tory past". | Labour said on its website that the democratic nature of this weekend's forum stood "in stark contrast to a Tory Party devoid of democratic policy-making, which has relied on policy commission run by figures from the failed Tory past". |
| Earlier this week Business Secretary John Hutton shrugged off a report in The Times suggesting union leaders would use the forum to demand his sacking. | Earlier this week Business Secretary John Hutton shrugged off a report in The Times suggesting union leaders would use the forum to demand his sacking. |
| This was because of a complete "breakdown in relations" with him, the newspaper said, although Mr Hutton later insisted he was not aware of a problem. | This was because of a complete "breakdown in relations" with him, the newspaper said, although Mr Hutton later insisted he was not aware of a problem. |
| His future was in the hands of Mr Brown and not the unions, he added. | His future was in the hands of Mr Brown and not the unions, he added. |