Brown 'still to convince voters'

John Hutton's warning came as another leading Blairite, former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer, cautioned: "Renewal does not come from change of leadership alone."

Their comments, coinciding with a poll putting the Conservatives seven points ahead of Labour, follow a torrid fortnight for the Prime Minister.

Mr Brown has faced criticism for his last-minute U-turn on an autumn general election, his performance in the Commons and the announcement of troop withdrawals from Iraq during the Conservative Party conference. Meanwhile, Tory leader David Cameron has rejuvenated his party with initiatives on tax, a well-received conference speech and a fierce attack on Mr Brown at Prime Minister's Questions.

Mr Hutton, the Business and Enterprise Secretary, insisted that it was not "the beginning of the end" for the Labour Government. But he said: "The key challenge for us - and Gordon has rightly identified this - it's a vision thing. What we have got to do now is set out our vision for the next 10 years."

Mr Hutton told BBC1's Sunday AM: "Of course there are times in politics where there is a lot of noise and a lot of traffic and a lot of hassle. But what will through is New Labour's enduring set of visions for the future. There has been no collapse and this is not the beginning of the end."

Mr Hutton's aides insisted he was entirely supportive of the Prime Minister and he was not suggesting Mr Brown lacked vision. "It's about the nitty-gritty of knuckling down in the next few months," one said. "It's not about any lack of a huge vision."

Lord Falconer also reiterated the need to "make clear our vision" to the country. In an article for The Sunday Times, which also carried anonymous comments from friends of Tony Blair complaining that the premier's conference speech had been "empty", Lord Falconer reiterated the need for him to "make clear our vision".

"Because if you rely on experience and our ability to handle crises and do not set out, in the coming months, our vision for the future of the UK, a vision which represents the progressive view of politics, then we will be offering drift not leadership, and the past not the future," he said. Lord Falconer added pointedly: "Renewal does not come from change of leadership alone."

An ICM survey for The Sunday Telegraph suggested today that David Cameron was now in a position to secure a Commons majority in a general election. The poll put the Conservatives on 43% and Labour on 36%. It was the highest poll rating for the Tories since the last Conservative government's Black Wednesday debacle in 1992.