Charles Clarke has called publicly on David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, to challenge Gordon Brown for the Labour leadership.

The former Home Secretary, who is a long-time rival of the Chancellor, said that he believed Mr Miliband would be a “good candidate” to succeed Tony Blair. He is the first senior Labour figure in public to urge Mr Miliband to stand.

Asked in an interview with The Independent whether he would like Mr Miliband to run, he said: “Yes, I think that he’d be a good candidate and a good Prime Minister. Unlike [the Opposition Leader] David Cameron, he’s got good ministerial experience in a tough spending department.”

His comments will add weight to the growing calls within the Labour Party that Mr Brown should face a contested election.

A survey by The Times of a section of party activists found a huge demand for a full leadership election as a means of opening up a debate on Labour’s values and policies.

More than half half wanted Mr Brown to win, or thought him certain to become leader, with no significant support for any alternative figure. Very few saw a leadership election in terms of personalities, but were instead impatient for a chance to debate their core beliefs and the party’s future.

The Times spoke to 80 party members at a regional party conference at Bedford at the weekend. They represented a cross-section of grassroots activists, many from the marginal seats that Labour must hold to stay in office.

Sixty-six members wanted and expected a contest and many were explicit that such a debate would force Mr Brown to adopt a more traditional left-wing agenda or consciously break from the Blair era.

John Trollope, a former councillor in Castle Point, Essex, backed Mr Brown, but said: “I hope we are going to steer a new direction to the Left.” Fred Grindrod, of Watford, backed Mr Brown but said: “The Left of the party should come up with candidates so we have a debate.” Bill Horslen, a councillor from Chelmsford, Essex, said: “We need someone to take us in a different direction. That is what the party is crying out for.”Swatantra Nandanwar, a councillor in Basildon, said: “Gordon Brown deserves it after waiting so long. It should be Brown until six months before the election, then David Miliband.”

Only a minority named alternative contenders and a surprising number were unclear on the party’s rule that, to stand, candidates need the nominations of 45 Labour MPs, 12.5 per cent of the parliamentary party. This suggests that there would be a fierce backlash if Mr Brown were elected leader unopposed.

The lack of a credible — or sufficiently courageous — challenger thus poses a dilemma for the Chancellor’s supporters. Eight members backed John McDonnell — the left-wing backbench MP who was the first candidate to declare — to be leader, compared with 43 supporting Mr Brown or regarding his succession as inevitable. Only a handful of other Labour figures were named by members in the first instance.

Colin Tull, of the Communication Workers’ Union, praised Mr McDonnell for running. “I want a contest, not an anointment. So what John McDonnell is doing is very important, even if it’s totally unrealistic.”

The survey is not typical of those who will vote for the party’s next leader and deputy leader, since Labour uses an electoral college system giving a third of the votes to MPs and MEPs, a third to members of affiliated unions and a third to party members. Grassroot view

Who do you want as Labour’s next leader?

Gordon Brown 43

John McDonnell 8

Michael Meacher 3

“Not Gordon Brown” 2

Peter Hain 2

Charles Clarke 2

David Miliband 1

Dennis Skinner 1

Tony Blair should stay 1

Undecided 17

Do you want a contest?

Yes 66

No/“not for sake of it” 6

Don’t mind/no view 8

If so, who should stand?

David Miliband 6

John Reid 5

John McDonnell 5

Charles Clarke 2

Alan Johnson 1

Alan Milburn 1

Unsure 14 T

he Times surveyed 80 Labour members at the party’s eastern regional conference in Bedford on Saturday

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