Seconds Out: Pickles v Rennard v Watson

Reports in the Daily Telegraph that Labour are drafting in your favourite Labour MP blogger and mine*, Tom Watson, to manage their campaign in the Henley by-election are surely wide of the mark. Three Line Whip reckons the West Bromwich bruiser will match Eric Pickles and Lord Rennard in a contest of the heavyweights. I'm not so sure. It's a lost cause for Labour and after all, Tom Watson is now a Minister of the Crown and presumably has important matters of State to attend to at the Cabinet Office. Also, he would surely be honour bound to forego his Ministerial salary for the period of the campaign. Wouldn't he?**

* Rapidly being overtaken by his colleague Tom Harris
** Tom, just trying to help save you from three weeks of purgatory