JUST when he thought everything was coming up roses - red ones - Tony Blair's party reminds him they can be a rebellious lot.

Smarting from his unexpected decision to switch established policy and go for referendums on devolution, wrong footing so many of his Scottish members, and incensed that he should fail to back the move to increase backbench pay by 26 per cent, truculent Labour MPs are determined to make their presence felt.

And the focus of their revolt will likely give the Tories some welcome ammunition in their rearguard action to prove Labour is a "danger".

For the party on the left, or at least its footsoldiers, are determined to defy their commander and pick their generals in the form of an election to the Shadow Cabinet.

The talk in Westminster is that Tony Blair and his senior colleagues want to drop this year's election on the grounds that it will be a distraction in the run-up to a General Election.

The fact that it will also save their colleague Harriet Harman, the health spokeswoman, from ignominious defeat at the hands of the parliamentary party may also have a large bearing on the strategy.

Around 100 backbench MPs are having none of it, however.

They want an election and see it as their last remaining power to hold the leadership to account.

But this has nothing to do with Ms Harman, they say.

The fact that the left wing of the party is still seething over her decision to send her son to a selective grammar school is just a coincidence. They are not out to get her at all.

And if you believe that, you believe Brian Mawhinney is the tooth fairy.

In fact, when it comes to giving gifts, this Shadow Cabinet election could be the ultimate present to Mr Mawhinney and his colleagues, who have latterly realised just what a threat New Labour is to their continued hold on power.

They must be rubbing their hands at the prospect of their foes going into huddles and forming cabals to defeat each other rather than facing the common enemy.

The Tories ended last week on the back foot following their disastrous "joke" rubbishing of the Labour mini manifesto which, when it came out, was widely welcomed.

Now they can lunge forward again with a new attack emphasising "divisions" in New Labour.

The ironic thing is that John Major could save Labour's hide.

If he was to call an election in November, which is more than a distinct possibility, not even the most bolshie Labour backbencher would demand an election to a Shadow Cabinet when a poll to decide the real Cabinet was just around the corner - would they?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.