Gordon Brown's leadership faced a new crisis this weekend as some of Labour’s biggest financial backers said he was not up to the job and had botched the handling of the credit crunch.

Key donors who bankrolled new Labour are now reluctant to support Brown, claiming he lacks the qualities required to salvage the party’s fortunes.

— The millionaire businessman Sir Maurice Hatter, who has donated more than £176,000 to the party since 2001, said it was time for a change of leader.
“He hasn’t got the charisma,” he said. “He was a good number two, but he is not a number one. I just don’t think he is a prime minister.”

— Sir Christopher Ondaatje, the author and businessman, who has donated £1.6m, said Brown had taken a “very dangerous road” in bailing out Northern Rock with public funds.

— Sir Gerry Robinson, a donor and former chairman of Granada TV and Allied Domecq, was scathing about Brown’s inability to delegate: “You can’t run a family like that, let alone the country.”

— Bill Kenwright, chairman of Everton football club, who has given £255,000, said the government had suffered an “energy bypass” and the leadership needed a “quantum change”.

The outspoken comments come as Brown’s personal ratings in the polls slump to a record low and after a by-election defeat in which Labour got fewer votes than the far-right British National party. Yesterday he suffered a further blow as Wendy Alexander, Labour’s Scottish leader, resigned after sleaze allegations about campaign donations.
The criticism from wealthy backers will cause panic in Labour ranks because of the financial crisis embroiling the party.
Labour files its annual accounts this week, and is only averting financial collapse because of a written guarantee that at least one union, Unite, will continue to provide significant funding. The party is negotiating with businessmen who lent Labour millions of pounds about extending the repayment period for up to a decade.

Labour’s donors turn on Gordon Brown - Times Online

Even more traitors who should have kept their mouths shut Exp !!

What chance the government holding down the wage demands in the Public sector when the Unions have total control of Labours Purse strings ?

A long summer of discontent awaits , Nu Labour same old story .