Labour is rounding on former home secretary Charles Clarke after his article for the New Statesman and various media appearences this morning.Ben Bradshaw, health minister, is the latest high-profile Labour figure to speak out against Mr Clarke. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Bradshaw said he did not "want to criticise a Labour collegaue publically" but went on to say: "I read the article and there didn't seem to be a single policy proposal". He continued: "We're going through a difficult patch. "People need to get on with the job. If they don't have better ideas than the government's been implementing, then be loyal to the government and take the fight to the Tories." His comments follow those of Cabinet office minister Phil Hope earlier today, in which he told Mr Clarke to "shut up", following a second wave of negative comments about Gordon Brown. "As MPs come back from their holidays, the overwhelming mood is to give the prime minister space to deal with our problems," Mr Hope said. "We've got 20 months before the election. It isn't helpful to have a running commentary the whole time. "Charles has to make his mind up. Is he still a practicing politican or is he a political commentator now?" Mr Hope asked. Ed Balls, one of the prime minister's most loyal lieutenants, called Mr Clark's comments "unoriginal and irrelevant". He continued: "It's not the first time Charles has made those kind of comments. I think it's Charles being Charles." Neil Griffiths, a former minister and close ally of Mr Brown, criticised Mr Clarke's lack of policy alternatives. "It is not as if Charles has any alternative policies," he said. "Charles's problem is this is not the first time that he has gone for the old Dad's Army 'We are all doomed' without coming up with any real alternative. "He sort of lobs a grenade into the party and then backs away and he did have his chance in 2007 to come up with alternative policies, and he hasn't come up with them." But Mr Clarke's media assault does appear to have made some kind of dent in Mr Brown's fortunes. Bookmakers William Hill further reduced their odds on him remaining in office until the end of the year, with his chances now standing at 6/4. He is also 5/6 not to lead Labour in to the next election. Mr Clarke continued his attack on Gordon Brown this morning, telling the prime minister he has "months" to prove his leadership. The former home secretary's comments on the Today programme followed an article in today's New Statesman in which he wrote that Labour faces "disaster" if it continues "obsessing about the past". Mr Hope's outburst highlights the level of irritation at Mr Clarke's comments within government. Several sources say Mr Clarke's timing - with MPs returning from holiday and Mr Brown starting his fightback- is irresponsible. Mr Clarke called on Mr Brown to "establish his authority" and said clear leadership was needed to establish a political direction about what Labour is seeking to achieve. "He was a brilliant chancellor... it's gone less well over the last year and I think the question now in this new role is to establish that sense of decisiveness and clarity which I think the country is looking for," Mr Clarke said. Mr Clarke did not flinch from overtly admitting his scepticism about the former chancellor's capacity for leadership, pointing out that he was "one of the few MPs" who did not nominate Mr Brown as a leader in last year's election. "I thought I was wrong, I thought he did very well at the beginning of the premiership," he continued. "However, I think there are many, many people now who are very concerned about our direction and are very concerned about our capacity to win the next general election." Mr Brown is seeking to relaunch his premiership this week with a range of initiatives designed to alleviate the economic pressure currently faced by households up and down the country. He will outline his plans in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) tonight. Mr Clarke remains unimpressed. He said the prime minister needed to "establish an economic programme which is about more than re-launches and odd policy initiatives". "There are two essential possibilities, both of which are perfectly honourable," he explained. "The first is for the performance of the government to improve significantly, which is what I think many people would like to see. The second is for Gordon Brown to stand down as prime minister with honour and have a proper leadership election to assess the proper issues. "I think it's a question of months, really… I am personally a sceptic, I always have been, but I also believe it's entirely possible he could turn things around." Mr Clarke was forced to resign by Tony Blair after the foreign prisoners row, in which foreign convicts released from prison were allowed back on to the streets of Britain without being deported. While maintaining irritation at the former prime minister for some time, Mr Clarke is known to be loyal to Mr Blair, and his wing of the party, and hostile to Gordon Brown.
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