Election fever reignited by poll

By Katherine Baldwin

BOURNEMOUTH (Reuters) - Gordon Brown's closest ally heightened speculation on Wednesday over when the prime minister might call an election as a new poll gave the ruling Labour Party a commanding lead.

Ed Balls, schools and families secretary and formerly Brown's right-hand man at the Treasury, questioned whether it was a bigger gamble to call a poll this year or wait.

"It's a very interesting question as to where the gamble really lies," Balls told BBC Radio from Labour's annual conference in Bournemouth, when asked if Brown was likely to risk an October or November vote.

"I think that Gordon Brown will be looking very closely at the events of this week," he added.

Speculation of a snap election has dominated Brown's first Labour conference as prime minister, fuelled by his consistent lead in polls since Brown succeeded Tony Blair in June.

Brown inherited a poll deficit from Blair but the tables have turned. The latest YouGov poll for Channel 4 News gave Labour an 11-point lead over the opposition Conservative Party, with Labour on 44 percent and the Conservatives on 33 percent.

Brown has refused to comment on election speculation, repeatedly saying he is just getting on with the job of governing and unveiling a raft of new policy ideas this week.

But some of his ministers and Labour supporters are eager for him to hold an election this year, believing it would be an even bigger gamble to wait until 2008 or 2009, with a potential economic downturn on the horizon.