MCDONNELL MATCHES BROWN IN POLL AND CALLS FOR TELEVISED DEBATE BETWEEN REID, BROWN AND MCDONNELL

John McDonnell's campaign team today were elated that in a poll conducted for BBC's Newsnight, John had drawn level with Gordon Brown within less than two months of the public launch of his campaign. No support was shown for Cabinet ministers Alan Johnson, David Miliband, and former minister Alan Milburn. As a relative unknown to the outside world until his launch in July, John McDonnell has made up such ground in popular opinion that it is emerging that he could be the only candidate to stop John Reid.

John said: "There isn't a case in the recent political history of this country where an unknown politician has come from nowhere to become one of the frontrunners for the premiership, surpassing high-profile Cabinet ministers. This means that our campaign of sticking to the policies and avoiding personalities is succeeding. Despite a virtual newspaper blackout of our campaign, our strategy of going on the stomp around the country, talking to as many people as possible is really working. There is now real hope of a radical change of political direction for our party and our country.

"I am now calling for a televised public debate between John Reid, Gordon Brown and myself on the key issues facing the future of our country."