Gould to quit as Labour MP

LABOUR MPs and party managers expect Bryan Gould, defeated candidate for the leadership in 1992, to announce this morning that he intends to stand down as an MP, writes Donald Macintyre.

Amid mounting speculation that Mr Gould had decided to quit full- time politics, possibly for an academic or media job, the MP for Dagenham and one-time rising star of Labour's front bench called a meeting of close advisers last night to tell them of his plans.

Mr Gould, 54, resigned as a member of the Shadow Cabinet in 1992 and since then has persistently criticised the party's economic policy for being too cautious.