Gordon Brown is worst PM ever, says one of his own candidates

According to the Lynn News newspaper, North West Norfolk candidate Manish Sood said: "Immigration has gone up which is creating friction within communities. The country is getting bigger and messier.

"The role of ministers has gone bureaucratic and the action of ministers has gone downhill - it is corrupt.

"The loss of social values is the basic problem and this is not what the Labour Party is about.

"I believe Gordon Brown has been the worst prime minister we have had in this country.

"It is a disgrace and he owes an apology to the people and the Queen."

Coming so close to the election, Mr Sood's comments will come as a major blow to Mr Brown's bid to win a fourth term for Labour.

According to the newspaper, Mr Sood, 38, declared the Tory-held seat "unwinnable" from the start of the election campaign.

In the article, he promised to "get back to basics" and "clean up the system" if chosen to represent the area.

Mr Sood is reported to have said: "We have to get back to basics where people can leave their money outside for the milkman without it being stolen."

The councillor also believes the Queen should have more respect and more say in government decisions.

But Mr Sood did praise Mr Brown for lowering interest rates for mortgage owners.

Asked on Sky News if he stood by the comments, Mr Sood replied: "Absolutely, yes.

"Obviously this is a very serious matter because we have a Prime Minister standing so close to the General Election and things are going totally wrong, and it's a real disaster for the cities, the country and the nation.

"And if you look at it, the average person has really got no respect for the Government and really we are moving towards not a government system but more towards anarchy, and that is very, very dangerous."

Citing Labour's planned increase in National Insurance and rising fuel prices, Mr Sood went on: "All the policies he is bringing in are a total disaster."

Mr Sood said he wanted to become a "one man battle" in cleaning up Labour and Parliament, telling Sky News: "I have been brought up with true social, moral Labour values and that is what's gone missing throughout the whole of the system because they have become too bureaucratic and too corrupted ...

"We need to clean the whole party up A to Z, and it's as simple as that. Once we do that, things will get better."

He called for a return to the "true socialism" of the 1960s and 1970s, which he argued would trigger a chain reaction where people would increasingly feel part of society.

Arguing that the unions had been neglected and public money misspent, Mr Sood urged greater investment in public services.

And he said: "We really have to come down hard on the Labour Party, on the Labour Government; and the Prime Minister really does need to wake up and see that this is a problem."

Asked whether Labour activists in his constituency would feel let down by his comments, Mr Sood insisted some were "happy" because they were "fed up" with the current situation.

He added: "Those who are obviously staunch supporters of Gordon Brown will feel affected, but those who want to change and those who believe in true social moral values are obviously on my side."

David Collis, chairman of North West Norfolk Constituency Labour Party, said: "Manish Sood does not represent the views of North West Norfolk Labour Party members.

"Manish has been divorced from this campaign for some time but clearly determined to get as much attention for himself as possible.

"Despite having such a dreadful candidate, loyal Labour members will continue to put the case for Gordon Brown as the best man to take Britain forward.

"This is the latest in a series of bizarre comments which he has made over a long period of time, and local Labour supporters in North West Norfolk want to make it clear that local members do not share his views.

"We are fully in support of Gordon Brown as leader of our party and of the excellent campaign he is running.

"Now more than ever, Britain needs a Labour Government to secure a future fair for all and we will make clear to Manish Sood how angry we are with him at the next meeting of the constituency party."

A party source said North West Norfolk CLP had considered deselecting Mr Sood on several occasions in the past but had decided it "wasn't worth the effort", given the large Tory majority.

Mr Sood was likely to face a motion of censure at the next meeting of the CLP after the election, the source added.