You might think that there would be few applicants for the post of Labour leader after Gordon Brown, but you would be wrong. The race to succeed him after the election has already started, as the Prime Minister's year has so far been entirely empty of good news. This week, the bad news got worse when Sir James Crosby, Brown's friend, was forced to stand down from the Financial Services Authority. As one Brownite admits regretfully: "The link is being made. Gordon liked the risk-takers, these bankers were his mates. That's what people will say."