Labour 'sleazy and incompetent'

The Labour party is "sleazy and incompetent" after the loans for peerages row and bad press for Charles Clarke, John Prescott and Patricia Hewitt, a major poll has found.

The YouGov poll for the Sunday Times, which comes five days before the local elections, also shows a huge slide in Tony Blair's personal ratings, which have dropped to their lowest level in 12 years.

The poll finds 57 per cent of respondents believe the government is "sleazy and incompetent". A total of 58 per cent say it is "on its last legs".

The prime minister's personal ratings slipped to an historic low, with 64 per cent of voters saying he was performing badly. Only a third say they think he is doing a good job.

Opposition parties have called for the resignation of Mr Clarke, the home secretary, after he acknowledged that 1,023 foreign prisoners, including murderers and rapists, were freed when they should have been considered for deportation.

In an interview with the News of the World, Mr Blair could only offer lukewarm support to his beleaguered cabinet colleague.

He said Mr Clarke's future was dependent on what happens in the coming days, but admitted he was "angry" over the prisoners' debacle.

A poor performance for Labour in next Thursday's local elections could precipitate a cabinet reshuffle and may even force the prime minister to announce the date when he will stand down from office.