World / Gordon Brown British Cabinet Starts to Rebel Against Brown After a bad week, PM's deputy suggests she wants to lead Britain By Jason Farago, Newser Staff Posted May 4, 2009 6:23 AM CDT Copied Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman wave to the audience at the end of the Labour Party Conference, in Manchester, northern England, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) A disastrous week for Gordon Brown has reignited speculation that the British prime minister could be forced out of his job, as senior Labour figures struggled to rein in a restless party. After losing a vote on soldiers' rights and backing down on proposed reforms, Brown is facing renewed calls to step down, reports the Guardian. Last week dozens of Labour MPs rebelled against the party line and delivered Brown's first ever defeat on a vote in Parliament. That and other recent missteps led several cabinet members to express their frustration with his leadership this weekend. Health secretary Alan Johnson is viewed as Brown’s most likely successor. He has denied such ambitions but added: "I am not saying there's no circumstances." (More Gordon Brown stories.) Report an error