Labour peer attacks 'weak' PM Brown

In the strongest attack on the premier from within Labour's ranks so far, Lord Desai described him as a "worrier" who looked "weak" and "indecisive".

His comments follow a series of criticisms from Labour MPs and Chancellor Alistair Darling's admission that the Government needed to "sharpen ourselves up".

Lord Desai, an economics professor, said Labour was "down in the dumps" and would find it "very difficult" to win the next general election.

"Gordon Brown was put on earth to remind people how good Tony Blair was," he said.

"It is a bit like William Hague who is a far better shadow foreign secretary than he was a leader of the Conservative Party."

He went on to describe Mr Brown's leadership style as "porridge or maybe haggis", saying: "There have been talks on all levels about what to do about it."

He added: "Gordon is a worrier with an academic approach to solving problems, but that does not always reassure people when they feel uncertain."

Lord Desai said Labour was not yet at the stage of choosing a new leader, adding it would be "very difficult" to do so before the next election. When the issue did eventually arise, he said, "it has to be" Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who resisted pressure to stand when Tony Blair resigned last year.

Mr Brown has come under particular pressure as the economy has encountered difficulties in recent months.