Labour braced for Euro polls blow
Voters are going to the polls in European and council elections which could hasten Gordon Brown's departure from Number 10.
The Prime Minister is braced for disastrous results after recent opinion polls suggesting support for Labour is at record low levels.
With Mr Brown already under intense pressure after a string of resignations from his Government, poor election results will embolden rebels agitating for his exit.
A YouGov survey for the Daily Telegraph suggested that, in elections to the European Parliament, Labour could finish behind the anti-EU UK Independence Party (Ukip).
It said that, among people certain to vote, Labour support stood at just 16%, behind the Tories on 26% and Ukip on 18%. The Lib Dems were on 15%, the Greens on 10% and the far-right British National Party (BNP) on 5% - enough to give it its first seat in Brussels.
Ukip, the BNP and the Greens have been tipped to capitalise on the public backlash against the major parties that have been caught at the centre of the MPs' expenses scandal.
Results will not be in until Sunday night, after polls close in countries elsewhere in Europe.
The large majority of council election results are expected on Friday afternoon, by which time the Prime Minister may have got an expected Cabinet reshuffle under way.
