Colleagues defend beleaguered Brown

Gordon Prentice became the latest backbencher to urge the Prime Minister to consider his position, warning that he lacked the "skills" for Number 10.

The Pendle MP said he had "sympathy" for Mr Brown, who is on holiday in Suffolk, but last week's disastrous Glasgow East by-election defeat proved a change was needed.

"I hope Gordon reflects on things during August and accepts that it is in the party's best interests, and perhaps his own, for him to stand down," Mr Prentice said. "Politics is a rough old business. You have got to be able to paint a picture, you have got to be able to motivate people, and I do not think Gordon has those skills."

Tony Lloyd, chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, admitted Mr Brown had to get a "sharper focus". But he insisted the "overwhelming majority" of MPs did not back a coup, and issued a plea for the Government to be given space to deal with global economic turbulence.

Commons Leader Harriet Harman also spoke up for the premier, although she accepted that Britain had "not seen the best" of him since he entered Number 10.

Asked on GMTV if she thought Mr Brown would be forced to resign, Ms Harman said: "No I don't. I can recognise that I don't think the British people have seen the best of him yet as Prime Minister. But the reason I so strongly support him is because the big problems people are facing in this country at this moment are the economy, the cost of fuel and food prices."

Meanwhile, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith demanded that Labour MPs stop "talking among themselves" and back the leader, saying: "He's proved himself to be a strong Prime Minister and quite rightly, as he said over the weekend, he's getting on with the job. He should have the support of all of us in order to do that."

Mr Prentice was following in the footsteps of former minister Graham Stringer, who insisted last week that the premier should depart for the sake of the party.

However, there have also been widespread rumours of behind-the-scenes plotting, with dissenters said to be canvassing support for replacement candidates such as Justice Secretary Jack Straw - who was forced on Sunday to distance himself from such activities. Dozens of moderate MPs are reportedly preparing a letter which could be handed to the Cabinet calling for a change of leader in the autumn if the issue has not been resolved by then.