Libya row a thorn in Brown's side

London: Gordon Brown was facing growing unrest over his leadership Tuesday as ministers warned that his handling of the Libya row showed why Labour was heading for a landslide defeat.

As the Lockerbie and IRA compensation issues reignited talk of an autumn coup, the prime minister came under fire from senior backbencher Jon Cruddas for his "astonishing" failure to attack the Conservatives.

Cruddas, the darling of grass roots activists and a possible leadership contender, warned in a speech that unless Labour changed its message it would "go down to a catastrophic defeat and deserve to".

But perhaps more worrying for Brown were complaints from one unnamed Cabinet minister that the Libya affair had exposed "government by fiasco".

MPs returning from their summer breaks have been dismayed by the way the Lockerbie row was allowed to spiral from an anti-SNP story into claims that the government was embroiled in "trade-for-terrorism" deals. Backbenchers have been complaining again about the operation in Downing Street amid concerns that Brown's "dithering" reputation has again been underlined.

The government's line on Libya was mired in confusion as No. 10 stressed there was not much new in the help being given to IRA victims of Libyan Semtex. Ed Balls also broke with the refusal to comment on the release of the Lockerbie bomber, suggesting Brown had been against it.

One minister told The Times: "We can't go on like this. I's beyond difficult, it's farcical. We're going from one fiasco to another and government by fiasco doesn't work. I've never been a plotter but I feel total exasperation." Another government aide said: "It's been a mess beyond all telling. I suspect it will be held up as a model for future students in how not to deal with a crisis. There's been no leadership.

"Gordon flounders around hoping he can get away with things. He's just not capable of being decisive." Another minister said Brown was "behaving like a rabbit trapped in the headlights", while a Cabinet aide said that "it's obvious now that Gordon is beyond change."