Number 10 TV: Gordon Brown to star on his own online channel

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Gordon Brown is to start his own online TV channel in the latest effort to boost his flagging poll ratings.

Number10TV, which will be accessible via the Downing Street website, is an attempt to reach out to voters by broadcasting the Prime Minister's speeches and public appearances.

The channel will offer 'exclusive video of the prime minister’s speeches, press conferences, media appearances and news archives', according to Brightcove, the company providing the technology.

Number10TV is due to go live within days, in a fresh political effort to exploit the potential of the internet to reach voters directly.

The Tories launched Webcameron almost two years ago with a video clip of the Conservative leader giving his children their breakfast.

The Government responded with Labourvision on YouTube, but both initiatives failed to resonate with voters. The only clip posted by Labour in the past month on YouTube, Tenth Anniversary of the National Minimum Wage, has been viewed just 420 times.

British politicians have so far failed to harness the power of the internet like their American counterparts. Tim Montgomerie, editor of the ConservativeHome website for Tory activists, said: 'British politics on the web is still way behind America.'

Downing Street last night played down the significance of the new channel, saying: 'We’re always looking at ways of improving and strengthening the website.'

It has recently started another dotcom initiative, using Twitter, the social networking website, to allow Number 10 staff to issue short blogs. But it has so far failed to arouse great enthusiasm. Comments posted yesterday by Number 10 staff on www.twitter.com/DowningStreet included: 'It’s recess and there’s not a lot for us to say!'

The Prime Minister will hold his first official Cabinet meeting next month in the West Midlands in an effort to reach out to the public.