Gordon Brown was praised by former U.S. president Bill Clinton yesterday for his 'big brain and good heart'.

Mr Clinton also warned those circling the beleaguered Prime Minister: 'I wouldn't predict Gordon's demise too quickly.'

But it would be 'difficult to maintain a very high level of popularity' for any politician amid the increasing costs of living and soaring petrol prices, he added.

Support: Bill Clinton told Gordon Brown to trust the people's judgement

'He is just in a period where circumstances have got the British people appropriately concerned about how to get from day to day, week to week,' the former president told the BBC.

He said he met the Prime Minister 20 years ago and the pair are still in regular contact.

'You get one of these jobs, the best politics is to do the job,' Mr Clinton said.

The words echo the mantra employed by Mr Brown - that he is 'getting on with the job'.

The Prime Minister's authority is under threat from Labour dissidents and the hunt is thought to be on for ten junior ministers --threatening to undermine his leadership by resigning en masse - so they can be sacked first.

Message: Clinton praised Mr Brown as a man with a 'big brain and good heart' and said it would be wrong to predict his demise too soon