Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown suffered a humiliating defeat in the country's local election last Thursday.
His Labour Party lost an astonishing 300 seats across the country - the party's worst local election defeat in 40 years, resulting in a overall third placing, behind its much smaller rival, the Liberal Democrats and the overall winner, the Conservatives.
The premier put a brave face on Labour`s poor performance. "It is clear to me that this has been a disappointing night, indeed a bad night for Labour. We have lessons to learn from that and then we will move forward. My job is to listen and to lead and that is what I will do," he told reporters
Adding salt to the wound is the lost of the prestigious post of Mayor of London to the opposition Conservatives. The party's incumbent - Ken Livingstone has been in mayor since 2000 was booted out from office by an eccentric Tory politician - Boris Johnson, who popularly known for unruly blond hairstyle and as host of the popular TV news quiz programme, "Have I Got News For You"
The result is widely seen as a referendum on Mr Brown's leadership, who took over as Prime Minister from the charismatic Tony Blair in June last year, after serving as finance minister for a decade in the shadow of three-times election winner Tony Blair.
If the results were repeated at the next parliamentary election, which Brown must call by mid-2010, the Conservatives would win a landslide 130-seat majority in parliament.
Ministers blamed the defeat on the deteriorating economy and on the government's abolition of a 10 percent income tax band, which hit low earners, many of whom would usually vote Labour.
Brown's popularity has also plunged because of the credit crunch, administrative blunders and his dour image. Voters are also being squeezed by higher food and energy prices while the credit crisis raises the risk of a house price plunge.
His closest ally, Ed Balls, who happens to be the country's Child Minister, said that the results could not be dismissed as a traditional midterm kick to the governing party.
"I don't think we can dismiss this as simply about a mid-term normal set of problems. I think people are worried about the state of the economy, but on the doorstep they have also been cross with us. They think that their tax bills are going up, that their fuel prices are going up, that their utility bills are going up and they want to know that we're doing more to help them through difficult times and that we are on their side." he said.
Few Labour MPs in seats of any vulnerability can feel confident of their futures. "No crisis," said the Chief Whip Geoff Hoon. The huge swathes of Labour MPs contemplating their prospects today are unlikely to share that view.
Already there are talks of a leadership challenge, but this still remains a remote possibility as Mr Brown has been in office for only 10 months.
The disastrous results has raised doubts on Mr Brown's ability to lead the party into a fourth term in office and has raises question on his electability among voters.
Past records have shown that local election results is a good indicator of the outcome of the general election. In 1977 slump in council seats has paved the way to Jim Callaghan's defeat to Margaret Thatcher two years later, in 1990 local election loss hastened Margaret Thatcher's end while the 1995 local election defeat for the Conservative Party culminated in the party's defeat at the hands of the Labour Party in the general election of 1997.
His Labour Party lost an astonishing 300 seats across the country - the party's worst local election defeat in 40 years, resulting in a overall third placing, behind its much smaller rival, the Liberal Democrats and the overall winner, the Conservatives.
The premier put a brave face on Labour`s poor performance. "It is clear to me that this has been a disappointing night, indeed a bad night for Labour. We have lessons to learn from that and then we will move forward. My job is to listen and to lead and that is what I will do," he told reporters
Adding salt to the wound is the lost of the prestigious post of Mayor of London to the opposition Conservatives. The party's incumbent - Ken Livingstone has been in mayor since 2000 was booted out from office by an eccentric Tory politician - Boris Johnson, who popularly known for unruly blond hairstyle and as host of the popular TV news quiz programme, "Have I Got News For You"
The result is widely seen as a referendum on Mr Brown's leadership, who took over as Prime Minister from the charismatic Tony Blair in June last year, after serving as finance minister for a decade in the shadow of three-times election winner Tony Blair.
If the results were repeated at the next parliamentary election, which Brown must call by mid-2010, the Conservatives would win a landslide 130-seat majority in parliament.
Ministers blamed the defeat on the deteriorating economy and on the government's abolition of a 10 percent income tax band, which hit low earners, many of whom would usually vote Labour.
Brown's popularity has also plunged because of the credit crunch, administrative blunders and his dour image. Voters are also being squeezed by higher food and energy prices while the credit crisis raises the risk of a house price plunge.
His closest ally, Ed Balls, who happens to be the country's Child Minister, said that the results could not be dismissed as a traditional midterm kick to the governing party.
"I don't think we can dismiss this as simply about a mid-term normal set of problems. I think people are worried about the state of the economy, but on the doorstep they have also been cross with us. They think that their tax bills are going up, that their fuel prices are going up, that their utility bills are going up and they want to know that we're doing more to help them through difficult times and that we are on their side." he said.
Few Labour MPs in seats of any vulnerability can feel confident of their futures. "No crisis," said the Chief Whip Geoff Hoon. The huge swathes of Labour MPs contemplating their prospects today are unlikely to share that view.
Already there are talks of a leadership challenge, but this still remains a remote possibility as Mr Brown has been in office for only 10 months.
The disastrous results has raised doubts on Mr Brown's ability to lead the party into a fourth term in office and has raises question on his electability among voters.
Past records have shown that local election results is a good indicator of the outcome of the general election. In 1977 slump in council seats has paved the way to Jim Callaghan's defeat to Margaret Thatcher two years later, in 1990 local election loss hastened Margaret Thatcher's end while the 1995 local election defeat for the Conservative Party culminated in the party's defeat at the hands of the Labour Party in the general election of 1997.
