PM in TV fightback after poor polls
Gordon Brown is to launch a fightback bid as his party plunged to a historic opinion poll low amid continued embarrassing revelations about MPs' expense claims.
The Prime Minister is expected to use a television interview to promise more reforms after a disastrous voter survey put Labour behind the Liberal Democrats for the first time in 22 years.
With his party already on course for a hammering in this week's Euro elections, the signal of general election intentions will fuel speculation of a possible leadership challenge.
The ICM survey for the Sunday Telegraph put Mr Brown's party in third place on just 22% - three points adrift of the Lib Dems and 18 behind David Cameron's Conservative Opposition.
It came close on the heels of another survey which suggested Labour could even be overtaken by the UK Independence Party in Thursday's Euro poll.
Among the initiatives the PM is considering is a legally-binding code of conduct for all MPs covering duties to constituents as well as issues such as expense claims.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson became the latest cabinet minister to predict an electoral hammering for Labour on Thursday.
Recent events "will have more of an effect on us than the other parties", Mr Johnson, the bookies' favourite to be the next Labour leader, told The Observer.
Mr Brown is expected to reshuffle his cabinet after the elections amid growing pressure on his leadership.
