Signs are emerging of a backlash among mainstream Labour MPs against David Miliband’s decision to stake his claim to become leader, amid fears that his move could hasten a general election before the first signs of an economic recovery.

Labour MPs worry that the Foreign Secretary has embarked on a kamikaze mission by setting out a vision for Labour without Gordon Brown, precipitating a leadership election and forcing a poll on a cash-strapped party next April or June. The Times has spoken to a number of MPs, including those usually loyal to Mr Brown, who acknowledge that the Prime Minister is in deep trouble but say that Mr Miliband has failed to build enough bridges within the party to mount a credible bid.

There are also fears that his decision to take off the whole of August will mean that he loses momentum and creates a vacuum. Many in the Labour Party praise Mr Miliband’s brother Ed, the Cabinet Office minister, who was not told in advance about his brother’s Guardian article, in which he called for a radical new phase in government policy, but they say the party’s mainstream would not rally round the Foreign Secretary.

In the event of a leadership election, the support of Labour MPs and MEPs is vital because they comprise a third of the votes. Unions and rank-and-file members make up the rest.

One MP said: “Have they not done their sums? If Brown is ousted in the autumn and [we have] a new leader next year, there will have to be an election almost immediately, even though the economy will not have had a chance to recover. This is a kamikaze move.”

Mr Miliband’s Blairite tag is also harming him among members of the party as well as the unions, who have labelled him a disaster. His personal politics are thought to be to the left of Tony Blair, but repeated suggestions that he is working with figures such as Alan Milburn and Stephen Byers have caused consternation.

Despite its huge electoral success, many mainstream Labour MPs do not want to be seen as embracing Blairism, which they claim was driven by a small faction that is now discredited. Discussions are under way among the Centre Left of the party to find a candidate, with Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, still the favourite among many.

One Labour MP said: “Everyone sees Brown is in a difficult position, and if we needed to get rid of him tomorrow we would. But there are no easy solutions, and relying on the Blairite ‘rump’ is not the answer. David Miliband is an awkward individual and has annoyed a lot of people, even though he is very clever. While most members of the Cabinet tend to stop and chat in the corridor of the Commons, he and his advisers tend to ignore you. It’s not smart politics.”

This comes as Downing Street denied reports that an order had gone out from No 10 that ministers should be back at their desks on September 1. Nevertheless, some ministers are under the impression that they need to be available either in person or on the telephone by then. No 10 says the only instruction is that the first Cabinet meeting would be on September 8. Times Online disclosed yesterday that Mr Brown forced Mr Miliband to cancel a trip to India between September 7 and 10, prompting speculation of an early reshuffle.

Yesterday John Hutton, the Business Secretary and arch-Blairite, pointedly praised Mr Miliband’s intervention, saying that he had been right to attack the Tories in the Guardian article. Asked to clarify whether he meant that Labour could win with Mr Brown as leader, he said: “Of course we can win with Gordon as our leader — that is absolutely what I’m saying.”

The intervention by Mr Miliband this week has prompted greater scrutiny of his personal politics. Yesterday Sunder Katwala, general secretary of the Fabian Society, said that the Foreign Secretary “explicitly rejects one of the central tenets of uber-Blairism”, adding that his mission in politics — to reduce the inequality of life chances — puts him “some way to the social democratic left of Tony Blair”.

He said Mr Miliband needed to flesh out a stronger vision for Britain if he were to stand for leader and he was still some way from producing an accessible and popular argument for Labour to win again.

It is less clear what immediate agenda this would generate for dealing with the pressures of an economic downturn and rising food and fuel prices, or public anxieties about immigration, crime, the closure of post offices or NHS reconfiguration.

“Whatever their merits as policy arguments, localism and empowerment do not offer a banner under which Labour could march towards the sound of electoral gunfire within the year,” he added.

Times Recommends

• The bright side of this winter rain
• Story behind the picture: Snow Leopard, 2008
• Times Charity Appeal: The Place2Be