Party backers have lost all faith in Brown

Published on Sunday 29 June 2008 22:23

LABOUR donors yesterday turned on Gordon Brown, warning that the party is doomed to failure under his leadership.

Former party bankrollers lined up to criticise Mr Brown's stewardship, with some calling for a change at the top and others saying they would no longer donate while he was in charge.

Their harsh words will trigger panic in Labour ranks, at a time when the party is on the brink of bankruptcy and is desperate to attract the kind of sponsorship it needs to fight multiple by-elections.

But some former backers warned it was too late for the Brown regime to salvage Labour from defeat.

Sir Gerry Robinson, a donor and former chairman of Granada TV and Allied Domecq, said Mr Brown appeared incapable of leading and had left the party in "probably an impossible position to come back from".

Sir Gerry has given 70,000 since 2001, although the last instalment came in 2005, but said he would no longer be giving the cash-strapped party his financial backing.

"It is very straightforward. I think Labour are looking in a lot of trouble and I think Brown is showing all the signs of not being a capable leader," he told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show.

"These crises don't happen accidentally. It's not just an issue of timing; it's an issue of either getting it right or not getting it right. And it doesn't feel right."

Sir Maurice Hatter, a businessman who has given 176,000 to the party, said it was time for a change of leader. "He hasn't got the charisma," he told the Sunday Times. "He was a good number two, but he is not a number one; I just don't think he is a Prime Minister."

He added that he would not give money to the party while Mr Brown was in charge.

Sir Christopher Ondaatje, the author and businessman who has given Labour 1.6 million, said Mr Brown had taken a "very dangerous road" when Northern Rock had been bailed out with public funds.

Bill Kenright, chairman of Everton football club who has given the party 255,000, said he continued to support Labour, but said it was suffering from "an energy bypass".

The news will be worrying for Labour, as the party is due to file its annual accounts tomorrow.