Miliband would not help Labour beat Cameron, poll warns as Brown prepares for autumn fightback

The ICM survey for today's Guardian found that voters preferred David Cameron as Prime Minister over both Mr Brown and Mr Miliband by the same whopping 21 point margin.

Asked to choose between the Tory leader and Mr Brown, 42 per cent preferred Mr Cameron while 21 per cent said Mr Brown.

In a contest between Mr Cameron and Mr Miliband, 40 per cent said Mr Cameron, while just 19 per cent opted for Mr Miliband.

The same poll finds the state of the parties broadly unchanged, with the Tories up one point from last month on 44pc, Labour up one on 29pc and the Lib Dems on 19pc.

Poll warning: David Miliband would not help Labour beat David Cameron

It comes as Mr Brown gets ready to break a three-week silence on his leadership and face down Labour claims he is in the 'last chance saloon'.

The Prime Minister will use a visit to the Beijing Olympics this weekend to speak out for the first time on the speculation about his future.

David Miliband has made what was seen as a naked attempt to position himself as an alternative to Mr Brown via a newspaper interview.

In reply, Mr Brown and his allies have put together plans for an autumn fightback.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper was first out of the blocks yesterday with an attack on the Tory leader's 'Cameronomics'.

In a reference to photographs of David Cameron on holiday, she said: 'He hopes to distract us with frisbees, floral shorts and photo ops.

'But a serious look at his policies reveals an approach which is at best confused and at worst would be deeply damaging for our economy.

Time for the fightback: Gordon Brown is back in charge of Downing Street as of today

'Cameronomics is emerging, in which photo ops, warm words and conflicting promises attempt to distract from a risky and destructive ideological agenda.'

Writin in the Guardian, she claimed Mr Cameron had a tendency to duck difficult questions, sending out different messages to different audiences.

'He has tried to confine policies to vague populist promises, from tax cuts to more prisons, to solving family breakdown, without getting drawn on delivery. But dig deeper and what you see is not quite what you get,' she said.

'Promises made to different audiences don't stack up. He campaigns against a new runway for Heathrow in the London mayoral election, whilst promising the City to do more on infrastructure.'

On the economy, she said that Mr Cameron was promising to cut taxes, increase spending and reduce borrowing all at the same time.

'He pledges billions in tax cuts on marriage, inheritance tax and stamp duty. Savings to pay for proposals frequently prove illusory,' she said.

'Faced with calls to make the sums stack up, Cameron reverts to slogans - 'sharing the proceeds of growth,' or 'living within our means'. When pressed, he concedes this means sticking with Labour's spending plans.'

Mr Brown will make a series of announcements next month on how he hopes to help families cope with the economic downturn, focusing on fuel, food and housing costs.

But the threat of a September reshuffle, used to keep ministers in line over the past month, has faded.

Party veteran Austin Mitchell yesterday became the latest to criticise Mr Brown in an article in Tribune in which he suggested the Prime Minister was in 'the last chance saloon'.

The Great Grimsby MP claimed the Government was developing a 'death wish' and displaying 'too many of the symptoms of a government at the end of its tether'.

Under fire: Miss Cooper accused the Tory leader - above on holiday in Cornwall - of distracting voters with 'frisbees and floral shorts'

• The Prime Minister yesterday led tributes to Glenrothes Labour MP John MacDougall, who died earlier this month.

Mr Brown arrived at the service in Burntisland, Fife, with his wife Sarah.

Former First Ministers Jack McConnell and Henry McLeish also attended, as did ex-Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell and UK Cabinet members past and present.