PM's adviser to replace Hutton?
Further to last week's item on how Prime Minister Gordon Brown's press adviser John Woodcock is trying to replace John Hutton, who is stepping down as Labour MP for Barrow, I see that the local paper there, the North West Evening Mail, seems to think Mr Woodcock's got the nomination sewn up.
"Meet Labour's Man Set to Replace John Hutton" the front page proclaimed last Thursday.
Mr Woodcock, who used to work as an adviser to Mr Hutton, was in Barrow this weekend knocking on doors, armed, I'm told, with a list of party members.
If so, I can't imagine where he got the list from.
Mr Woodcock therefore has an advantage over his rivals for the Labour nomination, who include Catherine "Cat" Smith, who is even younger than Mr Woodcock.
She doesn't have a membership list or Mr Hutton's backing, but does actually come from Barrow.
Mr Hutton has just told me the North West Evening News item was a "very good article".
I'm Michael Crick, and I'm Newsnight's political editor. My guiding rule is that in any story there's usually something the politicians would prefer the world not to know. My job is to find that out. Follow me on
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