Labour is �two-nil down� to the Conservatives in the race for the next General Election, one of Prime Minister Gordon Brown�s closest allies admitted yesterday.

Labour is "two-nil down" to the Conservatives in the race for the next General Election, one of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's closest allies admitted yesterday.

But Schools Secretary Ed Balls insisted there was "still a lot to play for", and - in a message directed at former Cabinet minister Charles Clarke - urged fellow Labour MPs to stick together and "stop jeering at the manager".

In an interview witha Sunday newspaper, Mr Balls signalled that he will this week unveil a £75m scheme to help up to 50,000 couples where one parent works to pay for childcare to allow the other to get skills training.

Mr Balls used a footballing comparison to give a frank assessment of Labour's position: "Everybody knows that if you are two-nil down five minutes into the second half, you don't give up, you keep playing.

"The winner is the team that sticks together."

He made little effort to hide his displeasure at Mr Clarke's recent call for Mr Brown to stand down if he cannot improve Labour's fortunes.

"We both have season tickets at Norwich City," said Mr Balls. "If you go to Norwich, you often get worried whether we're playing as well as we should. But you jeer the opposition. You don't jeer your own manager. I think Charles should agree with that."