Labour 'big beast' Charles Clarke breaks silence with blast at 'foolish' Brown

He claimed MPs were "appalled" by the Prime Minister's language about "British jobs for British workers".

Embarrassingly for Mr Brown, he accused him of being "disloyal" to Tony Blair when he was Chancellor.

The spat overshadowed what has been a behind-the-scenes effort by Mr Brown to find a role for Mr Clarke in his government.

The former Home Secretary was not offered a return to the front bench when Mr Brown took over in June, but has been asked to consider a number of jobs by the Prime Minister.

In an interview with the Guardian, Mr Clarke suggested Mr Brown had failed to support his best people.

And he described his appointment of former UN official Lord Malloch Brown as a Foreign Office minister as "foolish".

He also claimed many MPs had been "appalled" by the premier's controversial pledge of "British jobs for British workers".

Mr Clarke said there would have been 'massive controversy' in the Labour Party in previous decades over the "British jobs for British workers" slogan.

But he went on: "Ask the MPs here (in Westminster) and there are a large number who are appalled but are loyal to the leader and haven't spoken out about it."

Mr Clarke, who did not nominate Mr Brown for the Labour leadership, has stayed quiet during the past six months, amid claims that he is profoundly uneasy about the way the party has slumped in the polls.

"I think the appointment of Malloch Brown was foolish," Mr Clarke told the Guardian.

He added: "Tony would always support his key people. Gordon should do that with his people."

A leading Blairite, Mr Clarke also said the amount of loyalty shown to the Prime Minister now was in contrast to that displayed by Mr Brown towards his predecessor.

"It is staggering given his disloyalty to Tony," he said.

Mr Clarke is known to be worried about Labour's prospects at the next general election, but has been at pains to distance himself from Blairite campaigns to challenge Mr Brown.

Tony Blair and his key supporters both in the Commons and outside are privately dismayed by Mr Brown's performance and are said to be preparing to back David Miliband as his successor in the event of a Labour defeat on polling day in 2009 or 2010.

Privately Mr Clarke is worried about the way Mr Brown has handled the past few months, in particular the fiasco of the abandoned autumn election.

He is also concerned about signs of a breakdown in the relationship between the Prime Minister and key Cabinet ministers.

Although his interview with the Guardian took place a month ago, its publication will be seen as evidence that Mr Brown's critics are gearing up for a New Year offensive.

The collapse of Labour's standing in the polls has had a devastating impact on morale among MPs, many of whom now fear for their seats at the next election.

Downing Street praised Mr Clarke earlier this month as "a distinguished and experienced former minister who has much to offer public life in the future."

Both sides agreed to play down the impact of the former Home Secretary's assessment, leaving the way open for Mr Clarke to agree a Government role next year, although the prospects of a deal remain slim.

At his monthly press conference, Mr Brown suggested that Mr Clarke's comments had been "distorted".

He said: "Charles Clarke has got a very important role to play in the future."

And he claimed he worked in close consultation with other Cabinet colleagues.

"All the discussions that we have in the Cabinet revolve around the important long-term challenges we face," he went on.

"Just as I worked with Tony Blair, I work with all my colleagues in the Cabinet."

Following Mr Clarke's broadside, however, another Labour backbencher said there was concern about Mr Brown's leadership.

Thurrock MP Andrew Mackinlay told Radio 4's The World At One: "There is some disappointment, particularly from the election that never was.

"There's a degree of concern but I wouldn't want to exaggerate it. I deliberately use the word "disappointment" rather than "despair"."