Brown allies turn on Blair

Labour-supporting New Statesman magazine infuriated party chiefs today after it urged readers to vote out three Cabinet ministers.

The magazine, owned by one of Gordon Brown's closest allies, called for the removal of 35 Labour MPs in the general election - including Blairites John Reid, Charles Clarke and Tessa Jowell.

The move risked a fresh war between supporters of Tony Blair and Mr Brown just as the Prime Minister and his Chancellor lined up side by side for a photocall.

The magazine is owned by Geoffrey Robinson, the millionaire MP and a chief backer of Mr Brown. Although the Chancellor's supporters will insist he had no knowledge of the stunt, senior party sources were furious at the move.

The New Statesman's 2005 Guide to Tactical Voting tells readers "How to Give Blair a Bloody Nose".

Its top target is Dr Reid, the Health Secretary. It says he should be removed because he "cheered loudly for Iraq war" and "favours more use of private companies to provide NHS services".

It said Culture Secretary Ms Jowell should be voted out in Dulwich and West Norwood because she was "one of group who persuaded Blair to stay last summer" and because she introduced plans for supercasinos. Home Secretary Mr Clarke should be removed from Norwich South because he introduced Labour's controversial Bills on tuition fees and prevention of terrorism, it said.

The scandal followed revelations that Mr Blair's face has been dropped from the cover of Labour's manifesto for the first time. It will be seen as confirmation that the Prime Minister is regarded as a liability with target voters, such as those disenchanted by the Iraq war.

Michael Howard yesterday taunted that Mr Blair's picture was being airbrushed from Labour MPs' campaign leaflets.

Labour plans to publish its manifesto next week.

Mr Blair's face and presidentialstyle leadership were promoted as the party's biggest assets in the past two elections. Labour analysts admit Mr Blair is no longer such a strong asset on his own - but their research suggests voters still prefer him to the Conservative leader.

That theory underpinned a new poster campaign showing his photograph alongside a picture of Mr Howard with the headline: "Who do you want to run the country?" A second poster shows Chancellor Brown and his Tory shadow Oliver Letwin, with the question: "Who do you want to run the economy?"

The Prime Minister and the Chancellor staged a show of unity today, unveiling the new posters together at Old Billingsgate. Mr Blair heaped praise on Mr Brown, describing him as "the most successful Chancellor the country has seen for many, many years".

At the same time it emerged that allies of Mr Brown have staged a "coup" by winning seats on the election strategy committee chaired by the Prime Minister.

The Chancellor's former economics adviser Ed Balls and another prot?, Trade Minister Douglas Alexander, were given seats on the decision-making body this week.

In conjunction with Mr Blair's comments yesterday, which appeared to guarantee Mr Brown's future at the Treasury, the developments bore hallmarks of a deal between 10 and 11 Downing Street to reward the Chancellor for throwing his weight and authority into the election campaign. Until this week, Mr Brown had been touring marginal seats outside London, with allies complaininghe had been excluded from the main campaign.

But the New Statesman's move could trigger fresh hostilities.

The magazine says it is appealing to disgruntled Labour voters. "You would like to weaken Tony Blair and you would probably prefer Gordon Brown as prime minister".

It does not recommend voting Tory but says disillusioned voters should back the Liberal Democrats, Scottish Nationalists or Plaid Cymru in 47 key seats. As well as 35 MPs, there are 12 Labour candidates on the magazine's blacklist, for having "no recent record of anti-Blairism".

The Conservatives were today focused on the NHS, unveiling details of their plans to clean dirty hospitals by bringing back traditional matrons.

But the Opposition was pitched into a new row after a Rightwinger with a long history of calling for tax and spending cuts was picked to stand in the Arundel and South Downs constituency in place of ousted MP Howard Flight. Labour gleefully branded Nick Herbert as "more extreme" than Mr Flight, who was sacked after a speech implying that the Conservatives would cut spending more deeply than they admit.