The Foreign Secretary David Miliband will keep his job in a Cabinet reshuffle next month.

The Prime Minster Gordon Brown has been forced to keep Mr Miliband in the Cabinet after he signalled he would not accept any other post in Government.

It was thought he would be offered the position of Chancellor.

James Purnell, the Work and Pensions Secretary, will also keep his job after warning he would reject any attempt to move him.

There has been fresh criticism of Mr Brown from a senior Labour figure.

Baroness Jay said Mr Brown is an electoral liability and his dire personal standing with voters is undermining Labour.

She said Mr Brown compares unfavourably with her father, Jim Callaghan, who led his party to a shattering election defeat by the Conservatives in 1979.

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