The government is reportedly plotting to muzzle senior Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody by packing her influential transport committee with MPs loyal to Tony Blair.

If they won it would not stop me from speaking out

Louise Ellman, Labour committee member

Labour Whips are planning to use the break up of the giant Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions to undermine her position, according to the Independent newspaper.

Ms Dunwoody and her committee were blamed by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott for thrusting the "final knife into the back of former transport secretary Stephen Byers".

The Labour-dominated committee branded Mr Byers' �180bn 10-year transport plan "incomprehensible".

'Smear campaign'

The transport committee will be broken up and re-constituted next month.

John Prescott: "Final knife"

The new transport committee will scrutinise the work of the transport department, while a sister committee will monitor the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

The Independent's story is based on comments by Ms Dunwoody's fellow committee chairman Andrew Bennett, who said: "There's potential they could put new people in."

Last year a government attempt to replace Ms Dunwoody was halted by a backbench rebellion among Labour MPs.

But she has told journalists she believes a smear campaign is being orchestrated against her.

Fighting removal

Other Labour members of the transport committee reported to be in the whips' sights are Louise Ellman, Brian Donohoe and George Stevenson.

Ms Ellman said she would fight any attempt to remove her from the committee.

But she added: "If they won it would not stop me from speaking out.

"I might just do it from a different place."

'Keep cool'

She said she hoped the government would "keep cool" on the issue and "register that select committees are there as an essential part of our democracy".

She added: "It as an excellent government with an excellent track record and it should not be so insecure that it does not want to listen to the House of Commons at its best.

"And the select committees are the House of Commons at its best."

Whips 'conspiracy'

The government has said it wants to strengthen the role of select committees.

But plans by leader of the house Robin Cook to weaken the Whips' stranglehold on committee appointments were defeated last month in a free Commons vote.

Labour and Conservative Whips were reported to have collaborated to defeat the move.