PENDLE MP Gordon Prentice has attacked his new leader over apparent plans to allow Liberal Democrats to join the Cabinet.

Mr Prentice appeared on Radio 4's Today Programme yesterday and told listeners new leader Gordon Brown would have faced further opposition if he had talked about his cross-party plans during his leadership campaign.

Later, he called Mr Brown's apparent offer of a Cabinet position to former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown "bizarre".

Mr Ashdown told newspapers he had turned down the offer.

And Mr Prentice has also attacked Blackburn colleague and Leader of the House Jack Straw over the issue, reminding the Cabinet member that he had condemned the Liberal Democrats as "scavengers" in the 1980s.

Mr Prentice, who is notorious in parliament as a Labour rebel, said that his comments were "nothing personal" against either party, and were not related to struggles between himself and the borough's Liberal Democrat-run council.

He said his views were shared by a number of backbench MPs.

Mr Prentice said: "When he said he would run for the Labour leadership, he didn't say he was going to be inviting Liberal Democrats into his Cabinet. If he had, things might have been different.

"He has kept completely quiet about this. 91 per cent of the parliamentary party supported him but things could have been very different if we knew then what we know now. It would have had an effect on the deputy leadership election as well.

"I take the view that the Labour Cabinet should be full of Labour politicians and there is no place for Liberal Democrats.

"I think a lot of people think that if you have a majority of more than 60 and you go outside the party for a Cabinet minister then it seems bizarre.

"We don't want to see policy cross-dressing - people need to know where they stand."

Pendle councillor Lord Tony Greaves said if a Liberal Democrat were to accept a position in the Cabinet they would have to resign from the party.

He said: "I can't see any circumstances where a Liberal Democrat would accept such a position because you would not have any power to change anything. You would be tied to the government whip.

"In effect you would be joining the Labour Party and if I wanted to do that I would have joined them.

"It's madness. I think Gordon Brown has lost his marbles and is showing politically he is out of his depth as Prime Minister."