Mr Gould tipped for trade role

Press, 13 July 1987, Page 3

Mr Gould tipped for trade role

By

TONY VERDON,

in London

Mr Brian Gould’s attempt to steer the British Labour Party towards more popular policies has triggered a row within the beleaguered party.

The Hawera-born member of the House of Commons for Dagenham, is highly regarded by the Labour leader, Mr Neil Kinnock, and is expected this week to be promoted to one of the most senior positions in the parliamentary party. Mr Gould has triggered a backlash within his own party by advocating more pragmatic policies which he says would appeal to middle-of-the-road voters.

He had been tipped to become the party’s chief finance spokesman, but it now appears he will be named this week as the trade and industry spokesman.

This is in spite of the fact that Mr Kinnock was keen to see Mr Gould, who as campaign co-ordi-nator took charge of the party’s election campaign last year, take the Shadow Chancellor’s position. Instead, the job is now almost certain to go to a longer-serving Labour member, Mr John Smith. Mr Gould, who is said by senior Labour sources to have Mr Kinnock’s confidence, will instead have to settle for the lesser role.

The New Zealander, aged 48, is widely regarded in Britain as being the most likely successor

to Mr Roy Hattersley as the party’s next deputy leader. But recent utterances about the party having to adopt less traditional Labour policies appear to have counted against Mr Gould.

While it is clear both Mr Kinnock and Mr Gould believe the party should adopt more pragmatic policies, and so attempt to capture more of the middle-ground vote which helped the British Prime Minister, Mrs Thatcher, lead the Conservative Party to such a decisive victory at tjie polls last month, the Labour Left wing has yet to be convinced.

Mr Gould is expected to spearhead Labour’s attack on the Government’s much-vaunted attempt to revitalise inner-cities.

The role, along with the argument with Mr Hattersley, resulted in Mr Gould appearing in the front page lead stories in two of Britain’s most respected Sunday newspapers, “The Sunday Times,” and the “Observer.”

“The Sunday Times” reported that Mr Gould’s new trade and industry spokesmanship would recognise his personal success as Labour’s election campaign manager.

The "Observer” said that Mr Gould, who has been in the Labour Shadow-Cabinet for just a year, is thought to lack the parliamentary experience to handle the chief finance shadow spokesmanship.