Now give us a true leader

He is engulfed in a tide of once-traditional Labour voters who are now saying: "You've had your chance, it's time for a change."

It is just as the News of the World's opinion poll made clear last Sunday.

And when Mr Brown describes his party's worst result in 40 years as "bad and disappointing" he's putting it mildly.

The 10p tax shambles at the centre of this debacle was one of the two biggest political mistakes of his life— alongside bottling out of a snap election he would have won last October.

That said, it isn't too late for the Premier to save himself and his party from political oblivion.

Despite the sea of blue now colouring the political map of England and Wales, Thursday's vote was not FOR the Tories, it was AGAINST Labour.

Spoils

So the task now facing Brown and Cameron is essentially the same:

Show us you are Prime Minister material and have the leadership skills to steer this great country of ours through an economic maelstrom.

Both men have two years to do it.

In that time we will remain a nation who fear for our mortgages, our jobs, our personal safety and the quality of our schools and hospitals.

The spoils of victory are immense. Defeat will spell the end of a political career. A bloody leadership challenge would serve no real purpose for Labour other than to give the Tories even more advantage.

Gordon Brown has to regroup his troops and hammer out a more focused battle plan to win back those trusted supporters who feel betrayed.

As PM in waiting, David Cameron must prove he is more than a smart soundbite and provide policies that are clear and affordable.

The voters have spoken. Their message couldn't be clearer.

The fight to the death is on.