It is supported on the backbenches on the centre, to the left and to the right”.But Mr Byers has got himself in trouble too often to feel safe. As Secretary of State for Trade and Industry he notoriously failed to pick up the signs that BMW were planning to sell the Rover plant in Longbridge. That was a piece of cake compared to implementing the Railtrack policy. In the meantime the trains are not running on time and Ms Moore is still in place. As another minister observed “It’s not Tony’s style to bow to external pressure to get rid of a minister but nor is it his style to keep a discredited one in the longer term. And, let’s be honest, a cabinet minister’s job is not as safe as a spin doctor’s.”Additional reporting by Jo Dillon. The contest for the leadership of Scotland’s Labour Party, and ultimately First Minister of the country, was shaping up to be a two-horse race yesterday.

She is also a fiercely ambitious minister with an endless supply of energy.Ms Alexander is the sister of Douglas Alexander, one of Mr Brown’s closest allies at Westminster. The Westminster MPs with Scottish seats have a share of the votes in the electoral college, and Mr Brown, who has been assiduous in building alliances with Labour MPs at Westminster, could help tip the balance in Ms Alexander’s favour.While Mr McConnell is also regarded as a moderniser, there are fears he has pro-independence aspirations in wanting to extend the powers and influence of the Scottish Parliament further.”I think he is a very strong character and a strong candidate,” said Patricia Ferguson, Labour MSP for Glasgow Maryhill. “He has a breadth of experience within the party and has shown that he is capable of doing a really good job for the people of Scotland.” While neither Mr McConnell nor Ms Alexander have the Westminster experience of Donald Dewar or Henry McLeish, both are steeped in the intricacies of Scottish politics.Already rival camps have been set up to canvas support from the unions, backbench MSPs and senior Labour party officials – even though official campaigning is not supposed to get underway until tomorrow, when nominations open. It is widely expected that both ministers will then confirm their intentions to run for leader.Yesterday’s meeting came just two days after Henry McLeish resigned amid controversy over his constituency office expenses. Under the strict rules of the Scotland Act, a new First Leader must be appointed within 28 days; otherwise it is left to Sir David Steel as Presiding Officer to nominate someone to take on the role.Downing Street insisted Tony Blair had not pushed Mr McLeish into resignation over the £36,000 he claimed from the House of Commons without registering the fact that he was sub-letting his constituency office. The Prime Minister received the call from Mr McLeish as he was travelling by car back from Heathrow after his US trip.

Mr McLeish said he had decided to because of the impact the media attacks were having on himself and his family.The attacks continued yesterday, with claims that he was forced to quit because he feared that a sixth tenant of his office would be disclosed in the Scottish Parliament.. The Tories yesterday demanded a pledge from the Government that no more public money will be spent on the Millennium Dome, after it emerged that ministers could drop plans to sell it. The scheme would be a major u-turn in policy: until now, ministers had insisted the Dome in Greenwich, south London, would be sold off with more than 40 acres of surrounding land. Leasing the building could allow the Government to sell the surrounding site on the River Thames far more quickly.The Tories protested, however, that this plan could mean ministers spending even more lottery money or public funds on the Dome. So far £628m has been spent on the attraction.”I think the public will be outraged if more public money is thrown down this black hole,” said Tim Yeo, the shadow Culture Secretary.It is thought only two bidders are in talks about the site.

One is said to be a US entertainment corporation, which could stage major sports events and concerts. The other known bidder is a consortium of British developers including Lend Lease and Quintain, who are interested chiefly in the land’s property value.Ministers still hope to sell the Dome as part of the deal, however. A spokesman for Lord Falconer’s department said claims that the Dome had been taken entirely off the market were “rubbish”.. The ban on fox hunting may soon be lifted in the Midlands and Kent while remaining in force in Cumbria and Devon, the counties worst hit by the foot-and-mouth outbreak.