(Thumbnail image: San Francisco Sentinel)

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is under fire from political opponents, allies and even GQ Magazine.  With poor poll numbers and an election quickly approaching, critics say Mr. Brown is in too bad of shape to lead the Labour Party—and by the way, they don’t like his suits either.

We’re taking a looking at Brown's future with perspectives from Sky News, CNN, France24, and The New York Times.

A third call for a secret, no-confidence vote by some Labour leaders failed on Wednesday.  Sky News and CNN gave conflicting reports on the level of support for ousting Mr. Brown.

“The Prime Minister has been here before and survived far worse.  If there were senior resignations from cabinet, then the situation would quickly become more dire.  But despite the rumors, that hasn’t happened.  And support for the ballot on the back bench seems pretty thin on the ground.”

“Few people in the Parliamentary Labour Party now view Gordon’s Brown’s leadership with much enthusiasm.  But it seems as if we’ve learned one thing for sure: they couldn’t organize a rebellion if their lives depended on it.”

“There is no obvious successor, no obvious challenger.  There are people plotting, talking in Parliament, in the corridors of power, but nobody’s ready to wield the knife.  And the saying here is the person who does wield the knife does not get to get the crown.”

So where does this leave the prime minister politically?  The New York Times reports it chips away at the foundation he’s been trying to build, saying:

“The challenge threatened to undermine Mr. Brown’s international stature at a time when he is seeking to project himself as the architect of global recovery from the financial crisis and as the central European player in the fight against the Taliban.”

And we turn back to CNN for a widely reported diss to Mr. Brown’s duds.  Last week, British GQ named him the worst dressed man in the world.

“According to GQ, Brown exudes, quote, anything but a prime example of British style.  The competition was tough.  Brown beat out French President Nicholas Sarkozy, comedian Russell Brand, and—this one’s going to hurt—the always stylish North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.  Although, I think those glasses may have earned him some extra bonus points.”

So do you think Mr. Brown’s outlook is bleak—or will he stage a successful comeback?

Writer: Chance Seales

Producer: Nathan Giannini