Brits prefer Beckhams to Brown

Britons would rather the Beckhams ran the country than Gordon Brown, according to a new survey.

Mr Brown came fourth in a list of the worst people to lead Britain, with 11 per cent of the vote.

Those considered to be worse than the PM were Jade Goody, with 23 per cent of the vote, Amy Winehouse, with 16 per cent, and Kerry Katona with 14 per cent.

But only 9 per cent of those polled chose Katie Price and Peter Andre, and just 6 per cent said David and Victoria Beckham would be the worst.

The Britishness survey, commissioned by Current TV, also found that Britons are losing their sense of national pride and rejecting traditional pastimes.

More than half of those polled (57 per cent) said they had considered moving, or wanted to move, to another country.

Traditional pastimes such as going to church or Sunday School, playing board games or eating afternoon tea proved unpopular.

Instead, a quarter of respondents said they would rather watch the Hollyoaks omnibus on television on Sundays, and 18 per cent preferred playing on the Nintendo Wii.

Prince Harry proved the most popular modern ambassador for Britain, with 42 per cent of the vote - ahead of Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar last year for her portrayal of the Queen.

© Independent Television News Limited 2008. All rights reserved.