Labour round on critic - including his mum
A senior Labour councillor from Leicester, who's hoping to become an MP, has defended his comments in which he described Gordon Brown as "the worst Prime Minister ever".
Manish Sood is a well known name in local Labour politics in Leicester. He's also Labour's parliamentary candidate for the Norfolk North West seat, and it's his strident criticism of Gordon Brown in a local newspaper in Norfolk that has sparked such a row.
In it, he says Gordon Brown is the worst Prime Minister ever and that Mr Brown owes the country an apology. Speaking from his Leicester home this morning, he stuck to his guns.
"Things are going totally wrong and it's a real disaster for the cities, the country and the nation. The average person has really got no respect for the Government," he said.
"All the policies he is bringing in are a total disaster. We need to rediscover the Labour Party of the past."
The Labour Party, in response, has dismissed his comments as the "bizarre ramblings of an eccentric".
His mother, Manjula Sood, is a former Lord Mayor of Leicester. She said she was "distraught" at the comments made by her son.
Someone else who knows Mr Sood well is Ross Willmott, the former leader of Leicester City Council. He's also a parliamentary candidate: contesting Leicestershire North West.
He told me Manish Sood 's remarks about Gordon Brown's leadership were mistaken.
"It's a real shame for Manish because Gordon's role in helping secure the recovery is acknowledged nationally and internationally." No matter how Labour officials try to play down Mr Sood's criticism, it's a distraction the Prime Minister - so close the polling day - can do without.
Hello. My name is John Hess. I'm the BBC's Political Editor for the East Midlands and this blog will offer my musings on the political scene from Westminster to closer to home. 
