Brown arrives for Labour conference

Under severe pressure after a revolt among Labour MPs and ministers, the Prime Minister vowed to remain focused on the challenges facing the country.

With support for his leadership haemorrhaging among party members and less-than-ringing endorsements from government colleagues, he will be hoping to give the speech of his life to delegates on Tuesday.

There are suggestions that many of his critics will hold their fire for the course of the party's annual conference, which officially kicks off on Saturday.

But any truce is likely to prove short-lived unless he can deliver a marked improvement in Labour's fortunes in the weeks ahead.

Visiting a school in Manchester ahead of his second annual conference as leader, Mr Brown said: "This is the best job in the world, because every day there are new challenges. But every day you get up in the morning saying, 'how can I help make things better?' My determination is to do the best for the people of this country."

Labour goes into the conference with polls putting them up to 28 points behind the Conservatives and nervous about the forthcoming Glenrothes by-election in Scotland.

The majority of Labour members and supporters want a new leader, according to a survey published by The Independent. It showed that 54% of Labour's grassroots would prefer someone else to lead them into the next general election. And more than half of respondents (57%) said there should be a vote at the conference on whether Mr Brown should face a leadership election.

That follows calls by about a dozen Labour MPs for leadership nomination papers to be issued ahead of the conference. General secretary Ray Collins has refused.

The critics extend to many MPs who have rarely criticised the leadership in the past, as well as Scotland Office minister David Cairns and assistant whip Siobhain McDonagh, both of whom have lost their jobs.