Jokes about Miliband follow PM to Kabul

Gordon Brown faced fresh embarrassment over his leadership today as the Afghanistan president joked about him being replaced by Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

The Prime Minister tried to use a surprise trip to visit British troops to kickstart a political fightback, but President Hamid Karzai added to his woes.

With the issue of Mr Miliband's ambitions dogging the leaders' press conference in Kabul, President Karzai said: "Cabinet ministers plotting is nothing new. We have it in Afghanistan - although not my foreign minister".

Mr Brown insisted he had a "good relationship" with Mr Miliband. He also promised that families struggling with fuel, food and mortgage costs would get some relief this autumn.

But the Conservatives moved to outflank him with their own announcement that they would help families save £100 a year in energy and water bills by allowing low-income households to take out new Post Office card accounts.

An Ipsos/Mori poll today gave the Tories a record 24-point poll lead among those certain to vote. Twice as many electors - 48 per cent to 24 per cent - said they would vote Tory as Labour, the biggest gap since records began in 1977. It is four points wider than a month ago - with Labour dropping three. The Liberal Democrats were on 16 per cent.