London - The simmering row over the leadership qualities of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown erupted into open warfare Monday when a leading back-bench Labour parliamentarian suggested that Brown would be dropped by his party before the next general election, due in two year's time at the latest.

"I would be very surprised if he (Brown) is still the leader of the Labour Party then and therefore leading us into the election campaign," said Labour member of parliament
(MP) Frank Field, who has been leading a party revolt over taxation.

His comment came in a BBC interview Monday and follows a string of personal attacks on Brown by allies of former prime minister Tony Blair.

Responding to Field's stinging criticism Monday, Health Secretary Alan Johnson acknowledged that the "knives were out" for Brown, but insisted that voters wanted to hear about policies and were not interested in "character assassination."

Brown, meanwhile, has conceded that "mistakes" he made had contributed to a devastating setback for Labour in local elections on May 1, and promised that he will "listen and lead."

But, while the prime minister was struggling to regain the initiative, the party was in danger of "tearing itself apart" over the leadership issue, commentators said.

Field, meanwhile, said Brown's position would become "intolerable" if MPs did not get a "satisfactory answer" over how millions of people disadvantaged by tax changes would be compensated.

In his extremely outspoken interview, Field said that Brown looked "unhappy in himself" and suggested that the prime minister should "talk to his loved ones and see what they say and act on their advice." (dpa)