'I won't walk away' says defiant Brown as Falconer says there are others in the wings.

A DEFIANT Gordon Brown last night vowed that he wouldn't "walk away" as Labour was braced for another savaging at the polls which could finally seal the

Prime Minister's political fate.

Just hours before the announcement of crucial European election results, his hopes of survival were dealt another body blow when for mer Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer became the most senior figure yet to call for a leadership contest.

Tony Blair's old flatmate warned that if Mr Brown was not prepared to stand down as leader there were potential candidates waiting in the wings ready to mount a challenge.

Rebel Labour MPs were weighing up their next move, amid speculation that Labour could be beaten into third or even fourth place last night behind UKIP and the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Brown sought to rally support with a televised address to a hastily arranged gathering of sympathetic Labour Party activists in east London.

He said the public would not understand if the Gover nment gave up at a time when it was faced with the problems of tackling the recession and cleaning up Parliament.

"What would they think of us if ever we walked away from them at a time of need? We are sticking with them," he said.

"We have a purpose, we have a mission, we have a task ahead.

We are going to get on with that task of building a better Britain."

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Gordon Brown last night