LONDON - Leading members of the ruling Labour Party are mulling over a possible revolt against prime minister Gordon Brown after the party suffered a stinging defeat in a by-election in Glasgow, the BBC reported yesterday.

LONDON - Leading members of the ruling Labour Party are mulling over a possible revolt against prime minister Gordon Brown after the party suffered a stinging defeat in a by-election in Glasgow, the BBC reported yesterday.

The report said that former Labour ministers were among those who may be pushing for Brown, pictured, to declare his resignation after the summer holiday break.

But justice secretary Jack Straw, who has been mentioned as a possible successor to Brown, issued an appeal to the party to stand behind the prime minister. A plot to topple Brown would be a "big mistake.

"I am convinced Gordon Brown is the right man to be leading the party," Straw said.

Brown himself has rejected any thought of resigning.

"I'm getting on with the job and I think it's important that in difficult economic circumstances we take the right decisions for the future to get fuel prices down, to get food prices down, to make sure we get the housing market moving," Brown said.

The debate about Brown and Labour's ongoing downturn gained momentum last week after the Scottish National Party unseated Labour in a by-election in Glasgow East, which had been a Labour stronghold since the 1920s. - Sapa-dpa