According to Tribune Ray Collins was Blair's choice ahead of Peter Watt's appointment. He is seen as very right wing in terms of the trade union movement.

Chris Lennie.

Dear Googler

I recommend without a shred of modesty
 
http://petergkenyon.typepad.com/peterkenyon/2008/05/labour-party-to.html

Pretty heroic that anyone wants the job, given the latest news on party finances via the FT:

Labour is in emergency talks to renegotiate more than £10m of loans from wealthy businessmen to prevent itself running out of money.

Most of the millionaires who secretly lent money to Labour in the run-up to the 2005 election ought to be repaid in the coming months but the party – which is £20m in the red – is in no position to do this.

As a result, it is holding combined talks with all the lenders to find a single agreement that would allow the party to stagger repayments over up to nine years. An announcement is just weeks away, according to sources on both sides of the discussions.

...

Jon Mendelsohn, chief fundraiser for Labour, has been leading the talks with representatives of the businessmen, who include curry magnate Sir Gulam Noon, retail tycoon Richard Caring, Chai Patel, former chief executive of Priory healthcare, and property entrepreneur Sir David Garrard.

Most of the dozen millionaires who bankrolled Labour in 2005 have accepted the principle of the negotiations although the details are still to be ironed out. The only one who openly called for his money back – Sir Christopher Evans, the biotech entre­preneur – has been repaid.

The loans, which were due up this year or next, will now be spread up until 2017. The party’s problems have been exacerbated by funding furores that have made businesspeople less willing to donate.