Ministers rally round poll-axed PM

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Cabinet minister Ed Miliband, a close ally of the Prime Minister, insisted Mr Brown was "the right leader" and said people had often underestimated him.

Business Secretary Lord Mandelson defended Mr Brown's lack of "razzmatazz", saying his "big brain" would help steer the country through the recession.

Research for the Mail on Sunday found the party's support had dropped three points over the past month to just 23% - even lower than when Michael Foot was at the helm in the 1980s. The slump in support gives the Tories a massive 22% advantage, enough for a landslide victory if repeated at a general election.

The position was reinforced by a separate YouGov poll for the Sunday Times, which suggested Labour's support had tumbled 7% to 27% - 16 points behind the Conservatives.

The Prime Minister has suffered a series of setbacks in recent weeks, with a humiliating Commons defeat on Gurkha rights widely seen as an indication that his authority is slipping.

Last month's Budget highlighted the deteriorating state of the UK's finances, and moves such as the introduction of a new 50% top tax rate sparked anger.

Mr Brown's personal judgment was called into question when one of his closest aides, Damian McBride, was forced to quit after planning false smears against senior Tories. The premier's YouTube video outlining MP expenses reforms was widely mocked, and he was forced to stage a double climbdown over scrapping the second homes allowance.

The past few days have been dominated by revelations over parliamentary expenses claims by Mr Brown and his ministers - although the polls were only carried out as details started to emerge.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Mr Miliband acknowledged it had been a "very bad couple of weeks" for Labour but told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show: "Gordon is the right leader, he's going to be the leader at the election, he has the right values and he has the right experience and I think that will tell. I've known Gordon a long time ... and what I know is people have consistently underestimated him."