Voters would be more likely to back Labour if Gordon Brown stood down, a poll has revealed.

The survey showed 46 per cent thought Mr Brown should stand down as Prime Minister, while 36 per cent said he should stay.

Asked who they would vote for if a general election was tomorrow, 46 per cent said the Tories, 26 per cent said Labour and 17 per cent the Liberal Democrats.

With Labour 20 points behind the Tories, 21 per cent said they would be more likely to vote Labour if Brown was not the leader, while just 7 per cent say it would make them less likely to back Labour.

The poll found 13 per cent prefer Brown to Blair and only 5 per cent trust Mr Brown to manage the economy, while 32 per cent do not trust him.

Asked which Labour MP they thought would make the best prime minister, 12 per cent said Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who is widely suspected of preparing the ground for a possible leadership challenge.

One in ten thought Mr Brown would do the best job, 7 per cent said Justice Secretary Jack Straw and 3 per cent backed Health Secretary Alan Johnson. However the overwhelming majority, 38 per cent, chose none of the four names put forward.

Ben Glanville of pollsters YouGov said: "These results are bad news for Gordon Brown. Three times as many people would be more likely rather than less likely to vote Labour if Gordon Brown was not leader.

"If they are to have any hope of wooing the electorate then a change at the top may restore their fortunes, but it is no magic bullet. If Labour chose a new leader he or she would have to work very hard to gain the public's confidence. It would not come automatically."

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