"REBEL" Labour MP Greg Pope is still sceptical about Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s ability to lead despite his acclaimed speech at the party conference in Manchester on Tuesday.

Mr Pope said he was impressed but is still unsure whether Mr Brown has the right skills to communicate with the British public.

The Hyndburn MP said: "Although Gordon made a good speech, we have a long way to go in turning the opinion polls round. One good speech does not change the political weather.

"I remain sceptical about whether Gordon can turn things around and we shall see what happens when MPs return to the House of Commons in two weeks."

Last week it was revealed that a host of backbench Labour MPs including Mr Pope, nicknamed the Dirty Dozen by the national media, were bidding to oust the PM by requesting leadership nomination papers.

The rebels are questioning whether Mr Brown has the skills needed to communicate to a 21st century media-savvy public and whether he can lead the country through the current financial crisis.

Although some Cabinet ministers have criticised the rebels, Mr Pope said the atmosphere at the conference was very friendly and party members were able to put aside their differences.

He added: "I think what we saw this week was a certain amount of rallying around in the Labour Party. I think from that standpoint the Prime Minister will think it was a good conference.

"Manchester was a good venue. It showcases the great things that have happened under Labour. Only 10 years ago Manchester was a very different place."