Poll spells more bad news for Brown

Most Labour supporters believe the party would be better off if Gordon Brown stood down as leader, according to a new poll.

Mr Brown's woes appear to be deepening daily as the fall-out from the 10p tax row continues.

The survey showing 55 per cent of Labour voters think he should quit was published as Mr Brown was criticised by a former Cabinet colleague.

Ex-home secretary Charles Clarke attacked him for using "dog whistle" tactics and complained that short-term errors were "eroding confidence in Labour's competence".

Mr Clarke said: "We should finish with 'dog whistle' language, such as 'British jobs for British workers', which flatter some of the most chauvinistic and backward-looking parts of British society.

"We should suspend the black arts of divisive inner-party briefing and bullying which penalise and inhibit debate and discussion about the future."

Mr Brown is also still under intense pressure to do more to reassure voters that they will not lose out from the abolition of the 10p income tax rate.

Chancellor Alistair Darling promised Labour rebel Frank Field he was actively searching for all the "losers".

Mr Darling also said ministers were considering a whole range of measures to compensate them.

But Mr Field, and fellow Labour MP Greg Pope, kept up their demands that all help should be backdated to the beginning of April.

Earlier, Mr Field said the failure to explain the compensation deal properly had been a major factor in last week's local council elections, when Labour lost 331 councillors.

With a tough by-election in Crewe and Nantwich on May 22, he warned the issue would continue to harm Labour until it was properly dealt with.

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