A LEADING minister yesterday launched a stinging attack against Peter Hain for declaring his intention to stand at Labour's next deputy leader. Harriet Harman, a likely rival in the race to succeed John Prescott, criticised the Welsh secretary for throwing his hat in the ring before the job was even vacant. Ms Harman, the constitutional affairs minister, repeatedly stressed a woman should stand when the position becomes vacant in the next year. This has widely been interpreted as her own pitch for the job. She yesterday stressed "I haven't declared" but when asked whether or not she had decided to in the future, she replied: "I am not going to say". Mr Hain's announcement at the TUC conference in Brighton on Tuesday that he is the right politician to reunite New Labour's "shattered progressive coalition" was branded as "premature" by one union chief, Mike Griffiths of Amicus. Ms Harman yesterday said he had declared too early. | 
