Brown should take Labour by "the scruff of the neck"

Roy Hattersley, the former deputy leader of the Labour Party, speaking to the BBC said, "If Gordon puts his foot down... the party can begin its recovery."

"If Gordon... take[s] the party by the scruff of the neck and says, 'It's my party, this is how I lead it, this is how it's going to be,' then I think we can begin the recovery."

The comments come in the midst of a difficult week for the Prime Minister. Three ministers in Brown's government are to leave office, including Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, Tom Watson, the Cabinet Office Minister and Children's Minister Beverley Hughes.

Four other MP's have also been barred from standing as Labour MPs at the next general election because of their expenses claims.

The news that the Home Secretary would be stepping down emerged yesterday, although it is believed she asked the Prime Minister a number of months ago if she could step down after revelations about her expenses.

Before the current expenses crisis Ms Smith had been made something a scapegoat for her expenses after claiming that her sister's flat was a main home, thus enabling her to furnish her constituency and family home in Redditch on the taxpayer. It later emerged that she had claimed expenses for pornographic films viewed by her husband.

The news of the departures comes as other senior ministers face uncertain futures. Chancellor Alistair Darling and Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon have been forced to apologise and pay back money after being caught up in the current expenses scandal, while Communities Secretary Hazel Blears looks likely to lose her job after the Prime Minister said her expenses claims were "totally unaccaptable".

Tomorrow voters go to the polls to elect representatives to the European Parliament and for local councils in parts of England. Opinion polls strongly suggest the Labour party is set for a drumming at the expense of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and other smaller parties.

Should the results be particularly bad the Prime Minister may himself be forced out of office by his disgruntled and battered party in a bid to save itself from a widely expected defeat at the next general election. This morning even the normally sympathetic Guardian newspaper called on Brown to be "cut loose" as the best option for the Labour party to save itself.