Poll will judge Labour, says Brown

Updated 19.40 Sun Apr 29 2007

Keywords: elections, Tony Blair, Labour, Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown has said that the public poll would reflect badly on the entire Labour party as people "will be voting on all of us".

The Chancellor did not rule out the possibility that Mr Blair's drawn-out departure could have damaged his own prospects.

Brown suggested the Government was going through a bad "phase", when asked about poor opinion poll ratings

When asked if Thursday's local election vote would be a verdict on just Tony Blair or both of them, Mr Brown told a programme: "Well people will be voting on all of us.

"But remember these are local elections in England; they're elections actually not for a UK Government but for the Scottish Parliament, and they're also elections for the Welsh Assembly.

"I think primarily people will be looking also at the powers that the Assembly and the Parliament has, and what local government's doing, and voting on these things as well."

Questioned as to whether Tony Blair had "hung around too long and damaged you in the process", he replied: "Yes well, that, you have, you have to establish."

The party is expected to fare badly at the ballot boxes on Thursday.

Mr Blair, who said voters could use the polls to give him a 'kicking', has ruled out announcing when he will quit Downing Street. It is believed he will reveal the timetable for his departure around June 9.

Brown suggested the Government was going through a bad "phase", when asked about poor opinion poll ratings.

He also rejected arguments that he should call a snap general election if he becomes PM - pointing out that many occupiers of Number 10 had arrived there mid-term.