Comment: New Brown test

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After the botched by-election in Glasgow East, Labour is likely to delay the Glenrothes vote until after the party conference, allowing a candidate to become more locally established and avoid the vote becoming another critical verdict on the PM's shaky performance. With the Bank of England chief Mervyn King warning of a full-blown recession, the pressure is now squarely on Mr Brown to show that he has a more convincing remedy for the economic gloom than he has so far projected.

He intends to mark his re-entry after the holiday with a speech outlining measures intended to take the pain out of the downturn for anxious voters. But his problems run deeper than merely offering reassurance. Labour lost in Glasgow East because its own heartland voters failed to turn out, or transferred their allegiance from the party. Until Mr Brown shows that he has the capacity to inspire and lead his party towards a national recovery, he will remain on the back foot - and vulnerable to an eventual leadership challenge.