ANALYSIS: Gordon Brown on the brink after historic Euro poll defeat

By Anna Tomforde Jun 8, 2009, 13:56 GMT

London - Gordon Brown's future remained in the balance Monday following a collapse of support for his ruling Labour Party in the elections to the European parliament.

The results, which saw Labour's share of the vote crash to an historic low of 15 per cent, were seen by analysts as adding to Brown's woes in the midst of a leadership crisis.

Brown, the initiator of bailout packages and self-proclaimed 'saviour' of the world economy, failed to capitalize on his internationally-recognized expertise.

To him, it may seem like an injustice and a paradox that the centre-right leaders of Germany and France, who partly adopted his anti-recession recipe, were basking in electoral success while he, in unison with other left-of centre leaders in Europe, should have been punished.

That sense of injustice is likely to bolster Brown's stubbornness in rejecting an ongoing assault on his leadership - even if Labour's European result was was the worst in the party's history - and an opinion poll Monday showed that 52 per cent of voters want him to step down.

In his hour of need, Brown is looking to Peter Mandelson, the former Trade Commissioner in Brussels, for support.

Mandelson, previously known as the 'Godfather of the Blairite wing' of the Labour Party, and a 'spin doctor par excellence,' has become Brown's troubleshooter, equipped with the brand new title First Secretary of State - effectively the second-most important member of cabinet.

He could be seen entering Downing Street, the seat of government, grim-faced early Monday, tasked with calming Brown's nerves and preparing him for the next challenge ahead.

Following a record series of resignations from the cabinet last week, conspirators on the Labour backbenches were reported Monday to be plotting their next move.

Labour, which has admitted suffering a 'terrible defeat' in the European poll, lost on average about 7 per cent of its electoral support.

It scored just 15 per cent of the share of the national vote, and landed in third place behind the UK Independence Party (UKIP) which advocates Britain's withdrawal from the European Union (EU).

It is equally embarrassing for Labour that the principality of Wales fell to the Conservatives for the first time since 1918.

Observers have also been alarmed by gains made by the far-right British National Party (BNP), which won its first two seats to the European parliament.

Voting analysis shows, that with a turnout of just 33 per cent, many Britons in the north of England made a straight switch from Labour to the BNP, which advocates hatred of Muslims, immigrants and Jews.

But Brown's party also lost to the Conservatives, who increased their vote share to nearly 29 per cent, maintaining their number one position in European elections.

Conservative leader David Cameron said that his party's gains and Labour's demise under a weakened leader proved the need for an immediate general election.

In an ideal world, that thought should make pro-Europeans shiver in their boots and rally around Brown - for Cameron's Conservatives have promised a referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty.