Next: Harriet Who?(International Edition; BRITAIN)(Harriet Harman)(Essay)

Byline: William Underhill

The Labour search for a new identity has settled, for now, on the unlikely character of Harriet Harman.

Gordon Brown's poll ratings are in the dumps, but for vicious headlines it would be hard to compete with Harriet Harman, deputy leader of the British Labour Party. A prominent figure in the Tony Blair and Brown governments, she has been dubbed "Ham-Fisted Hattie" by right-wing commentators for her alleged incompetence. Her shrill tone and emphasis on political correctness, as well as a weakness for class-war politics, mean she's "Harriet the Harridan" or "Hideous Harman." Yet Harman, 58, has become the bookmakers' favorite to take the party reins after Brown's all-but-certain defeat in the next election, due within 15 months.

Her surprising emergence as the front runner is a reflection of the great difficulties Labour is having in the midst of an economic crisis. After 12 years in government it now trails far behind the Conservatives in polls. Party membership is less than half its 1997 level, and M.P.s are growing bolder in their criticism of the party's direction. Ideologically, Labour seems more confused than ever. Some M.P.s want it to move toward a modified version of the pro-market strategies that characterized the New Labour leadership of Blair and Brown. But the financial storm seems to have discredited this approach, and Labour leaders are finding it tough to sell policies that smack of neoliberal solutions. Even government supporters admit the party needs a new and clearer narrative. "Labour faces an uphill struggle because it isn't articulating why it deserves a fourth term," says Jessica Asato of the New Labour group Progress. "We can't win on just being good stewards of the recession."

A more likely scenario is that the party will shift left, perhaps under Harman's leadership. Though she has denied interest in the job, she is well positioned for it. Since entering Parliament in 1982 as one of only 10 Labour women M.P.s, she has made a name as an advocate of equality and women's rights. Over the years she's served in a range of posts, including Social Security secretary, where she was charged with overhauling the welfare state. She was the first woman to hold the solicitor-general post, and she still holds a clutch of jobs, including leader of the House of Commons. Her latest project is a bill that would expand laws barring discrimination against women, the elderly and minorities.

Yet her campaigning zeal has never translated into public affection, limiting her support to a narrow but powerful ...