Gordon Brown suffered another blow to his standing today when an opinion poll showed that more than half of Labour supporters want him to make way for a younger leader.
The shock finding will further undermine the Prime Minister’s authority in the wake of last week’s drubbing in the local and London elections and with just a fortnight to go to the next test of the Government’s popularity at the Crewe and Nantwich by-election.
A Populus poll for The Times reveals a collapse of confidence in Mr Brown’s leadership to the extent that he now trails both David Cameron and Nick Clegg in the leadership stakes.
According to the poll, 55 per cent of Labour supporters think the party would be more likely to win the next general election if Mr Brown stood down.
The supporters agreed the Prime Minister should “make way for a younger, fresher, more charismatic alternative”.
The only consolation for the Prime Minister from the poll is that the Tory lead over Labour is put at 11 per cent compared to the 20 per cent in the national vote at last week’s elections.
The leaders of the Labour backbenchers pushing for compensation for the millions hit by the abolition of the 10p tax rate were assured by Chancellor Alistair Darling last night that the Treasury was working flat out on the issue to find a resolution.
However, Labour’s candidate in Crewe and Nantwich, Tamsin Dunwoody, and her canvassers will want something more concrete to offer disgruntled voters before the May 22 poll.
In a scathing assessment of Mr Brown’s leadership, former home secretary Charles Clarke called on the Chancellor to publish the Treasury’s 10p tax compensation plans in a mini-budget.
Mr Clarke said the Prime Minister should stop using “dog whistle language such as ‘British jobs for British workers’, which flatter some of the most chauvinistic and backward-looking parts of British society.”
The former cabinet minister went on: “We should suspend the black arts of inner-party briefing and bullying which penalise and inhibit debate and discussion.”
By London Editor John Hipwood
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23 Comments
It’s a test Gordon, the devil is on your back offering you a way out. If he went then it would be a weakness of Labour party MPs. I don’t like what he does all the time, but frankly the choice of hollow unready Con artists in the opposition will kick us back into boom-bust in no time.
Who do they pick in his place - what a brilliant choice they have. Each and every one of them would shame this country when mixing with real leaders from other countries but, although Brown is the absolute pits, he is the best of that New Labour sorry gang. Get rid of the lot of them.
Forget the by-ellection give us a general ellection.
Please don’t make way, Mr Brown. Please lead Labour to a monumental defeat in the next general election.
Personal confidence of labour was questionable prior to Blairs resignation.Brown’s governance is perpetuating what is wrong with our economy.Ignoring house price inflation ultimately will lead to an economic crash the beginnings of which we are already suffering.”It’ll correct itself in around 12mths” if you believe media commentators(reminds me of “the war ‘ll be over for christmas!”)
Labour is now a defunct regime,the spin the lies blatant for everyone to see.Where are the weapons of mass destruction hundreds of thousands were killed for?Is immigration good for Britain? If the prison’s are full what does Labour do?What does labour do of canabis?Time after time they make mistakes only to make matters worse .
arrant nonsense, the man should stay where he is and prepare for an election victory in 2010
Not only should Brown go now, but he should take all 350 New Labour MP’s with him. A new leader, young or old, will make no difference. Ten years of Blair / Brown and their cronies ripping us off at home and bringing the country in to disrepute abroad is enough. Any Labour MP who sat by and let this happen deserves to be kicked out with the rest of this garbage government.
oh what a load of rubbish the blokes seems to be getting a lot of flack from the press let him be judged on the next 12 months not what is no more than a few months in charge.
Anyone can say they are a Labour supporter but with a secret ballot, no one knows. I am the only person in the country whose vote is no secret.
Not up to the job. Must go.
I couldn’t care less how old the leader is, i just want a party with strong, competent leadership, and a party with strong competent policies.
I don’t think we should be choosing party leaders of any party on the basis tabloid opinion polls. That’s just bad for democracy.
I note the lack of enthusiasm in these responses for any of the other parties either.
Brown and Labour are clearly going to have a struggle to do even passably well in the next election unless they return to their party’s original values.
I think to some extent Brown suffers unfairly from a degree of casual anti-Scottish racism - Blair was also technically Scottish, but because he spoke with an English accent, didn’t get this.
Of the two, I think Brown is intellectually superior to Blair, with Blair being something of a lightweight by comparison.
Sadly, I think the greatest leader of Labour in modern times that never made it to Prime Minister was the much-missed John Smith, a man who was greatly respected by all sides of the House.
I can’t agree with Bobby about house prices. I’m sure they will settle - and that’s a good thing - but I don’t think there’s a prospect of an out and out 1980s-style crash - the demand for housing, whether owned or rented, is simply too great. Don’t forget, the current downturn is caused by the US-led lending crisis, not the other way round. Some of our lenders have been optimistic and to a degree irresponsible, but compared to lenders in the US, they’ve been paragons of virtue.
After all that has gone over the past 11 years - some would still support this disreputable regime. If the lies over the war on Iraq wasn’t bad enough (as it should have been for a decent country that stands, or used to, for moral and legal values) then surely the lies over the EU Treaty/Constitution should have been the final nail in the coffin whether one is a Europhobe or a Europhile. And, even if those were not bad enough, the mass uncontrolled immigration into this country has riled 82% of the population and rightly so. How can any Government withstand that sort of record. Any Government in a liberal democracy that makes a habit of lying to it’s electorate should not be allowed to remain in power because to allow it to do so, demeans the people and the society which it governs not to say the standing of that country in the eyes of a decent world. It also say’s little for those who would make excuses for and attempt to justify such a dishonest regime. As for the financial “prudence” of Brown and he being the best Chancellor since the year dot, well what can be said apart from the fact that even a barman at the Local Labour Club could do just as well if he had the borrowing/taxing ability that Brown had. The fact is, that 11 years of borrowing, because that is what it was based on, and over taxation (the highest ever) and living on “tick” has now caught up with our prudent Chancellor, we having nothing in reserve to buy our way out and what with paying for Northern Rock and the recent £55 billion to bail the banks out - we “just ain’t seen nothin yet”. What a shower, the sooner every last one of them goes the better but the thought of having that Monty Python Ed Balls, he with the staring hypnotic eyes, govern us for a short time is enough to make one heave.
Stuart,
How would the Tories have handled the US-inspired credit crisis?
What would they have done to protect the ordinary people who had their savings and mortgages with Northern Rock?
Granted, the nationalisation of the bank wasn’t what anyone would have wanted in an ideal world, but in order to protect the public purse, and the interests of the many small savers/borrowers (not the shareholders or the corporate bosses I might add), what could have been done better? Would they have just let it go bust? And, if so, what effect might that have had on the rest of the banking industry?
well said andrew finch, your comments stand out from a load of rant and rancour. yes the man cocked up on the 10p tax, but he did keep us all with low interest rates and a low cost of living over the past 11 years. he inherited most of the anti war saga from blair. he cannot be held responsible for the global increases in gold, oil and food. let us judge him and his ministers over the next 2 years. next april should see the return of the 10p tax, and he and alistair darling need to find a way to reduce fuel tax and to show the bunch of spivs in opposition and the clown london mare sorry mayor what good government is all about
Peter talks about Northern Rock. Why should a government help a bank? It should have been left to the market. People think banks are a safe place for money - they’re not always. That is why interest is paid to a saver - it is to compensate the saver’s risk. Northern Rock plc should have been left to go bust regardless of “ordinary savers” who made a poor investment choice.
Peter also refers to racism against Brown because he is Scottish - absolute tripe. Brown is a poor PM. FACT.
Well, where do we start Peter. First, under New Labour, the regulatory watchdog, The Financial Services Authority patently failed to fulfill one of it’s primary purposes which is to oversee the conduct and business practices of UK Financial Institutions.
For years Northern Rock beat most other Financial Institutions in it’s interest rates to depositors, it loaned record sums (in comparison with others to borrowers both institutional and private - both here and in the US and it borrowed massively which it in turn loaned for mortgages etc. This was a bank which doubled it’s mortgage lending in 6 months, not on the back of savers deposit’s but through massive borrowing on the commercial markets as I say, here and in America. When the credit crunch came, Northern Rocks flawed business model started to fail.
This flawed model was screaming out to be recognised and remedial action to be taken, the FSA failed to do so and this was on Brown’s watch. Put simply, if the FSA fails, the Government fails.
The Brown economy is and was precariously based on borrowings and debt, the average family is now paying a fifth of it’s income in debt repayment. This is historically the highest it has ever been and is the highest in the western world. As pressure is put on families and individuals, debt repayment becomes more difficult and as a consequence savings suffer, money is not flowing so readily into financial houses and the economy is caught in a vicious spiral whereby Banks refuse to lend to Banks, banks cannot lend to mortgagees and others and we end up with a situation where Governments have to lend taxpayers money to keep financial institutions afloat. A consequence also is the inability of people to buy houses because they cannot get mortgages because there is a money flow problem with Banks/Building Societies etc.
Our close affinity to the credit crisis and its affects came about because of British banks etc etc loaned massive amounts (based on borrowings) to US institutions who, in turn loaned to mortgagees who ultimately became unable to repay the debts, this flowed back down the line to British banks who ended up with massive unpaid debts from American institutions on their hands. Again this showed an almost impotent Financial Services Authority and ultimately the Labour Government.
If a Conservative Government had allowed such a free booting policy and philosophy to exist the country would have been rightly just as critical of them as they are now.
The economy and banking failures raise many questions and many answers depending on where one comes from. Had Brown allowed Northern Rock to go to the wall - and RBOS, millions of ordinary people in the street would have suffered and that is where his governments failures would have been directly responsible - you will deny this of course. As it is, billions have been poured into a failed Institution which the taxpayer has had to cough up. Equivalent I think to every man, woman and child in the country having to pay £1,400. This occurred on his watch. It got him out of severe trouble but has put the economy of this country in a precarious position.
I would prefer to think that the Conservatives would not have allowed the situation to develop to the extent that it did in the first place. Even I as a meagre, pensioner saver withdrew from Northern Rock two years ago this month. The Government pays people to see what I saw coming they did not do so. I have just withdrawn from another household name also - watch this space because it’s been hinted at in the papers. Labour are still in power and so it’s down to them if another bank/s need bailing out because they have had time to put a stop to the irresponsible practices of some of our banks and other Financial Houses.
I just wonder sometimes, if these catastrophies had occurred during the Conservatives time in power would the Labourites have let them off the hook so easily having given billion and billions of taxpayers money to nationalise a bank. I don’t think so.
He gets what he deserves.
Do you remember the campaign he lead against Tony Blair to oust him from Number 10?
He enjoyed overwhelming support from the parliamentary labour party who installed him without election.
Whilst his style and manner suited a chancellor with support from some heavyweight economists Brown was never going to make it as a PM.
He hasn’t made it, and we can now all enjoy the spectacle of the party ripping its self apart,
Stuart,
There may have been failings in the FSA and indeed in Northern Rock - but you really can’t attribute these directly to government. I think we’re too ready to call for resignations over almost anything these days (from any party), and I think it gets in the way of good government.
Historically the Tories have been less concerned than Labour over financial regulation - remember the endowment mis-selling of the late 80s/early ’90s, and the mis-selling of private pensions when people were given the opportunity to opt out of SERPS?
As a result of that history, I can’t share your optimism for any greater degeree of financial regulation or prudence.
As for the £1,400 per head argument, I think that this is a bit of a scare figure. If it is a true representation of the amount, then it’s more of a loan than a cost. It’s likely that at some stage when the markets are more stable that Northern Rock will return to the private sector, at which point the money effectively lent by the government will be largely, if not completely, recovered.
There may be some losses, but by nationalising it at least the government has protected our investment for now. The main losers at the moment will be the shareholders - caveat emptor, I’m afraid.
It’s good, however, to see your points of view expressed clearly and in terms other than those I’ve become used to lately.
I do, genuinely, appreciate that.
For the Labour party he’s about as useful as a chocolate tea pot. For the Conservatives he’s the best thing since Maggie!
stuart i quite agree with you about the banks they were the authors of their own misfortune but as for northern rock, i think the government was left with little option but to bail it out as i think the banking system would have collapsed like a pack of cards, and there would have been queues outside every bank and building society.
we now have” our own bank” which should be used to bank all these huge fines being dished out to itv,network rail, severn trent, supermarkets and any other malfeasors, on behalf of the treasury and should be used to compensate those hit by the removal of the 10p tax, plus a small dividend to we ” shareholders” like 4p of a pint of real ale!!
Peter, if you check back through some of my posts you will find that I argued strongly that politicians should not resign, least of all Brown for the failings of their underlings. The best example being the loss of the 25,000 Child Benefit claimants records. Brown could no more be held responsible for the acts or omissions of a Data Security Manager in the Benefits Agency who had clear responsibility for this than the man in the moon. The man for the sack or resignation was the Manager, not Brown. The term used, is I think, “Vicarious Responsibility”, ie where the boss carries the can for his subordinates failings. It can go to far and no Politician should be subject to it, unless the failure is on the part of his immediate staff and he/she should or did know of the failure etc. Here I am talking about Permanent Private/Parliamentary Secretaries etc. Failures by anyone less than these should not have to make the boss pay with his job. Many other cases have arisen on the same theme, particularly in the Home Office and again I fail to see why the Minster should resign or be thrown out because some underling dropped a proverbial clanger which had dire consequences elsewhere. Personal responsibility comes into these issues, not the “vicarious” kind, if anyone has to pay with his job - it should be the underling and, on principle I couldn’t agree more.
I also take the point about the endowment mis - selling fiasco because I almost became peronally involved in being “taken in ” by an over enthusiastic mortgage salesman myself. The failure of the Conservatives - and I accept that is what it was is perhaps balanced out by Brown’s recurring tax raid on pension funds which effectively have robbed thousands of pensioners of either their full pensions or a major part of it, and, as a result, many elderly people have had their retirement ruined.
Finance and the national economy is a complicated subject and those that deal with it as part of their political responsibility need eyes in the back of their head and the brain of a computer as the withdrawal of the 10p taxband shows. This will be a millstone around the kneck of Brown/Darling for decades to come, just as the “black Wednesday” (was it Wednesday) continues to be a similar weight around the kneck of Norman Lamont.
as chancellor gordon brown in my opinion made at least 3 serious errors, 1. he sold much of our gold reserves off at $200 dollars a unit (latest price $877 a unit. 2, he raided the pension funds which are still exposed, and 3 he removed at a stroke the 10p tax thus leaving 5,000,000 low paid and needy worse off, this for a labour chancellor was unforgiveable and must be put right next april and compensation paid.
in spite of these errors we have all enjoyed 11 years of low inflation and a low cost of living, we can argue we are over taxed, but with the minimum wage,and various tax credits providing reduced child poverty but still some way to go, i would argue we have had a good chancellor and the makings of a good prime minister still in the infancy of his career. the opposition a bunch of spivs must be envious indeed this is why their leader is so good at theatricals at pm question time. take away the veneer and he and followers are bereft o policy substance. keep up the good work gordon!!