Gordon Brown will have a year to show that he can turn around Labour’s fortunes after its drubbing in last week’s elections, senior ministers said yesterday.

As backbench sniping at his leadership intensified, ministers canvassed by The Times said that Mr Brown, who has been Prime Minister for less than 12 months, must be allowed time to fight back.

But several agreed that if Labour’s ratings did not improve in the coming year, his position might at that point become untenable. One said: “If we have not moved on by this time next year, we will be looking at certain defeat in the general election. At that point, people who see no point in putting themselves forward might feel they have nothing to lose, or Gordon himself might think it’s time to go.”

Another said: “He has put himself on trial. He has said he will get us and the country through it. That now is how he will be judged, probably in a year’s time. MPs have to believe they can win with him.”

Mr Brown is trying to silence doubts about his future with a rescue package of measures to help people hit by the economic downturn and the abolition of the 10p tax rate. In the rush to ditch unpopular policies he will veto plans for councils to impose fines on householders who throw out too much rubbish. Recycling incentives will be allowed but penalties scrapped.

The Prime Minister has summoned a special Cabinet session for tomorrow for what is expected to be an anguished inquest into what went wrong and an urgent discussion of whether and how Labour can dig itself out of the hole.

Labour MPs will soon be given an outline of the package that Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, is preparing to help the losers from the abolition of the 10p tax band. These will be aimed at women pensioners aged 60 to 64 who cannot claim pension credit.

Other measures to be announced over the coming days will include:

— Homeowners under threat of repossession because of mortgage problems to be given advice on how to avoid it;

— Boost for the housing market with new help for first-time buyers through shared equity schemes;

— Backing from ministers for the Competition Commission to stop price fixing by the supermarkets;

— Pressure from Britain and other countries on the Opec oil producers to increase supplies and bring down world prices;

— Possible postponement of 2p-a-litre fuel duty rise due in October.

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