Brown must stand down - poll

2008-09-19 12:01

London - An opinion poll published on Friday showed that a majority of supporters of Britain's ruling Labour Party want Prime Minister Gordon Brown to stand down as leader.

The poll, published by The Independent newspaper, found that 54% of Labour supporters would prefer someone else to lead them into the next general election, due by 2010.

The findings among rank-and-file Labour Party members are likely to increase the pressure on Brown ahead of Labour's annual party conference starting this weekend.

A number of junior members of government this week called for the conference to vote on having a leadership contest, but the move was rejected by Labour's ruling body, the National Executive Committee (NEC).

More than half of those asked - 57% - said there should be a vote at the conference on whether Brown should face a leadership election.

Some 45% believed that changing the party's leader before the next election would improve Labour's prospects, while 28% thought it would worsen them.

The poll - conducted by Labourhome.org, an online forum for the Labour grassroots - also gave a dismal rating of Brown's personal performance.

Asked to rate cabinet ministers on a scale of 1 to 10, Labour members and supporters gave Brown an average of 4.3 points. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA