An under-fire Gordon Brown appears to have persuaded his own MPs not to ditch him as Prime Minister - for now at least.

It follows Labour's worst polls drubbing for almost a century. The party won less than 16 per cent of the vote in European elections and was beaten into third place by the UK Independence Party (Ukip) while the British National Party (BNP) gained its first seats.

During the make-or-break House of Commons meeting, which lasted more than 90 minutes and was packed to bursting point, Mr Brown said: "I have my strengths and I have my weaknesses. I know there are some things I do well, some things not so well.

I've learned that you need to keep learning all the time."

He said he wants to use all the "talents" in the party and act in a "more collective way", insisting: "You solve the problem not by walking away but by facing it and doing something about it."

Mr Brown called on the party to learn the "lessons from the past", where it had succumbed to divisions, saying: "I'm not making a plea for unity. I am making an argument for unity."

And he said there was "no huge ideological difference" within Labour, adding: "There is not a resignation letter I have seen that mentions differences over policy."

New Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said Mr Brown had given the "speech of a lifetime".

And Defence minister Quentin Davies said the contributions had been "overwhelmingly positive", adding: "We want to keep the captain on the bridge and I'm sure he will stay on the bridge, and the ship will reach the right destination."

Meanwhile, new Welsh Secretary Peter Hain said people had spoken out "freely" but the premier had been "brilliant". "I think he completely carried all before him," he added.

But arch Blairite Stephen Byers, speaking elsewhere at a meeting of the Progress thinktank, called on Mr Brown to stand down, saying he was not the leader to win the next General Election.

"We need a leader who can win for Labour at the next general election and not take us to a humiliating defeat. Gordon Brown is not that leader," he said, adding: "Gordon Brown knows the real price that will be paid for a Labour defeat.

"For those people, families and communities who need a Labour Government to protect and promote their interests, now is the time for Gordon Brown to stand down as Labour leader and Prime Minister."

Meanwhile, a poll has said new Home Secretary Alan Alan Johnson could deny the Tories an overall majority at the next election if he replaced Mr Brown.

Research by ComRes for the Independent suggested a change would improve Labour's prospects. The Tories have an advantage of 38 per cent to 22 per cent with Mr Brown as leader, indicating they would romp home with a majority of 74.

But if Mr Johnson took the Labour helm, it predicted the party's support would rise to 26 per cent and backing for David Cameron drop to 36 per cent - leaving the Tories six short of an overall majority.

According to the poll, Labour's fortunes would also improve if Mr Brown was replaced by Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Schools Secretary Ed Balls, or backbencher Jon Cruddas.

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