WI British 'Gang of Four' don't leave the Labour Party?

Apparently Benn did't believe the allegations either when they were first published in The New Stateman, but he did after the MI5 officers came forward corroborating the story.
... I thought all this was about on the same level with Harold Wilson's paranoid ramblings about MI5 plotting against him. i.e., simply not the case at all.

But you're saying this other thing actually had some basis in fact... could you let me know where I ought to be looking, where you obtained the info etc? Would love to know. It sounds scary and fascinating at the same time, just like all good coup plots :p
 
... I thought all this was about on the same level with Harold Wilson's paranoid ramblings about MI5 plotting against him. i.e., simply not the case at all.

But you're saying this other thing actually had some basis in fact... could you let me know where I ought to be looking, where you obtained the info etc? Would love to know. It sounds scary and fascinating at the same time, just like all good coup plots :p

Here is part of the Wikipedia article:

The left wing politician Tony Benn records in his diary (17 February 1981) that a journalist from the New Statesman, Duncan Campbell, told him that he had received information from an intelligence agent two years previously that Neave had planned to have Benn assassinated if a Labour Government was elected, James Callaghan resigned and there was a possibility that Benn might be elected Party Leader in his place. Campbell claimed that the agent was ready to give his name and the New Statesman was going to print the story. Benn, however, discounted the validity of the story and wrote in his diary: "No one will believe for a moment that Airey Neave would have done such a thing".[7] However the magazine printed the story on 20 February 1981, naming the agent as Lee Tracey. Tracey claimed to have met Neave and was asked to join a team of intellig ence and security specialists which would "make sure Benn was stopped". Tracey planned a second meeting with Neave but Neave was killed before they could meet again.[8]

Here is the Wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airey_Neave#Conspiracy_theories

The article provides references to 'The Benn Diaries' by Tony Benn. I have read other articles on this so I will try to find link to them too.
 
Owen was arrogant and overpromoted. Note that in OTL his behaviour caused huge damage to the Alliance in the 1987 election.

That's not entirely true. They lost only 1 seat & were slightly down proportionally. Also, Owen, unlike Jenkins faced a more moderate Labour under Kinnock. He & Steel were not suited to work together. Of course Steel wanted a merger as he'd have been likely to lead it while Owen would be made second fiddle.
 
It is worth noting that the pattern of tory governments prior to 1979 was big Liberal revivals. With Labour deep in Civil War I think Liberals would do not much worse than the Alliance in OTL
 
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