英国工党两名前内阁大臣在不久将宣布全国大选的背景下，挑战首相布朗的领导权。

据英国广播公司报道，下议院议员、前国防大臣胡恩和前卫生大臣休伊特1月6日联名致函下院的工党议员，呼吁进行不记名投票，以决定首相布朗是否适合领导工党参加最迟今年6月举行的全国大选。

这两位前内阁要员表示，工党内部对布朗的领导地位早已产生严重意见分歧，因此需要“一劳永逸”地解决这个问题。

唐宁街首相府表示：布朗先生仍在继续肩负领导职责，议会的工党党团领导也说，对上述两位前大臣的呼吁“响应寥寥”。

布朗首相必须很快宣布最迟在6月份之前举行下次大选，但在近期的民意测验中，工党支持落后。

包括和工党有传统联系的几大工会在内的布朗支持者们驳斥了两位前大臣的要求，称之为误导。包括现任北爱事务大臣、卫生大臣在内的一些内阁阁员也表示，反对举行党内不记名投票。

UK PM fights off challenge

In the UK, two former Labour Cabinet members, Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt, sent a letter to fellow Labour lawmakers Wednesday, calling for a secret ballot on Brown's leadership.

The letter says that grumbling about Brown's performance is dividing the party at the worst possible time. Labour officials and Brown allies moved quickly to quash the rebellion.

The prime minister's office downplayed the letter, saying Brown is "relaxed and getting on with his job".

Brown's supporters claim a leadership vote would dash the party's hopes of an election win, which is set to be held by June. Several British Cabinet ministers have declared their support for the prime minister.

Ed Milliband, Energy & Climate Change Sec., said, "I profoundly disagree with what they've done, and I think the vast majority of Labour backbenchers, some of whom I was speaking to at a vote in the House of Commons, share that view. We have a leader, we elected him and the business now is to get on with making the arguments that we need to make for the general election about the future of the country."