MashGet

The former leader of the Labour party Neil Kinnock has warned Labour MPs that further undermining of Gordon Brown's leadership would boost the British National party (BNP) in the European elections.

After a weekend in which senior Labour figures struggled to end speculation about whether Brown should continue to lead the party, Kinnock called on MPs to "get behind Gordon" and denounced talk of a leadership challenge as "ludicrous and damaging". He said tearoom plotting would "hand victories" to the BNP in the elections on 4 June. Under proportional representation, the BNP needs 9%-12% of the vote to gain seats.