Can Gordon turn the ratings round?

Nearly three days after the Crewe & Nantwich result the signs are this evening that there is no stomach within the Labour party for a leadership challenge and that the movement will stick with Gordon.

Those leading cabinet ministers who have been named as possible replacements have made supportive statements and it is hard to see what could bring his leadership to a head.

Ministers and MPs are gambling that the dramatic collapse of support for the party and the massive boost in real votes for the Tories is a product of the economy – not a reflection of public feeling about Gordon. Changing the leader is not seen as an option.

When you are in desperate situations there is a tendency to clutch at straws and to look for the most positive interpretation of events.

Reproduced above are all the Gordon Brown approval ratings that have been recorded on the UKPolling Report site since he became Prime Minister. The trend does not look good.

The biggest gamblers this weekend are those Labour MPs with majorities of less than 10%.

Mike Smithson