I see no letter

says Mr Salter on Sky News last night, as follows:



Mr Salter denied a letter was being circulated among Labour MPs seeking signatures to call for Gordon Brown to step down as Labour leader.
"I've not seen any letter being circulated and I've run a fair number of campaigns on the backbenches of the Labour party," he said.He added that rather than removing Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister should be given space to tackle the problems facing the country."We've got a man at the helm at the moment and whatever his unpopularity, [he] is best placed to see us through the economic problems," he said. "We've got to give him the space to do that. I'm sure people will reassess their position in the autumn."



Leaving aside the odd phrase "campaigns on the backbenches of the Labour Party" (what does that mean?) and the bizarre use of participles ("rather than removing Gordon Brown, the prime Minister should") and that it was an email not a letter, are we to understand that if Mr Salter says something is not happening then it is not happening? I hopped briefly on to Sky News last night myself, and while I did not hear the above words I did see Mr Salter, shown for some reason kissing Jacqui Smith. Whatever is going on? Liked Hazel's brooch by the way, maybe the Labour Party will start selling a line of those, like the alleged ice-pick earrings there used to be when the Trots were being hammered. Maybe.