GORDON Brown has to call a General Election in less than a year. With the Tories riding high in the polls and the Government’s recent setbacks, some pundits suggest it is near impossible for Labour to recover enough to win a fourth term in office.

The Government has recently been beset with a series of disasters including the e-mail smears scandal, the Government defeat over Gurkhas’ settlement rights, which included opposition from its own bankbenchers and criticism from Communities Secretary Hazel Blears over ministers’ lamentable failure to communicate with the electorate.

The media also seized on comments by former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott who said Mr Brown “must have the worst bloody smile in the world” following his film on YouTube.

All this is set in the context of constant speculation over Mr Brown’s future and whether Labour would do better under a new leader to take them into the next General Election.

With further predicted unrest in the Labour ranks with a forthcoming vote on the part privatisation of the post office, it seems Mr Brown has an uphill struggle to avoid a hefty defeat at the election.

Despite the continuous criticism, Angela Smith, Labour MP for Basildon, still believes Mr Brown is the man to lead Labour into the next General Election. Mrs Smith is the Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Private Secretary, his link between No 10 and backbench MPs.

She insists the Prime Minister is more worried about putting the economy back on track than political gossip about his failings.

She said: “All he’s interested in doing is his job. People are worried about this economy and how it affects their jobs and lives.

“You can’t worry about what everybody’s saying, because if you did, you wouldn’t be getting on with the job you’re doing.

“No one likes political games because it does have an impact, but it is not what affects my constituents’ everyday lives.

“I don’t think he worries about what people think.

“I see him doing the job of Prime Minister and getting on with the job.”

She added that Mr Prescott’s comment was only a joke, followed by a complimentary remark about Mr Brown’s abilities and intellect.

“He might not smile at the right camera at the right time, but where it matters he’s the man to help,” she added.

Speaking about Labour’s defeat in a Lib Dem motion on Ghurkas’ rights of UK residence, Mrs Smith said the Government had failed to tell the public its achievements for Ghurkas’ rights.

She said: “No Government has done more to support the Ghurkas and got them more rights than this Government.

“I think there was a communications issue, that those changes have been made and it really wasn’t communicated to people.”

But while Mrs Smith added that backbench rebellions were difficult to predict, she said fellow Labour MPs were united on the Government’s approach to the economy.

She said: “I think most Labour MPs say the big issue for them is the economy and there’s no disagreement whatsoever on that.”

There were calls from the Conservatives for Mr Brown to call a General Election, after Tory leader David Cameron accused the Government of falling into terminal decline on Wednesday.

But Mrs Smith said it would be irresponsible for the Government to call an election while it was carrying out plans to rescue the economy.

She said: “When we’re in the middle of a recession and have set our policies to get through that, it wouldn’t be wise to play a party political game and call an election.”

She denied another Labour MP would replace Gordon Brown as PM before the next election, adding: “I don’t think it’s going to happen or is being discussed by anybody other than David Cameron.”

Mrs Smith believed Gordon Brown could win the next election, but said boundary changes to her constituency would make it difficult to retain her seat.

Changes to the boundary means her new constituency will not incorporate the Labour stronghold of Fryerns, but will take in traditional Tory-voting Pitsea.

She said: “I think he can win, but what he’s focused on at the moment is getting the country through difficult times.

“The changes make my seat much more difficult to win, but ever since I have been elected the Tories have been predicting my downfall.

“At the end of the day it’s the constituents who make the votes.”