THE crisis engulfing Gordon Brown has doomed two local Labour MPs to defeat at the hands of the Liberal Democrats, its leader has claimed.

Nick Clegg said he was pouring extra staff and money into the Liverpool Wavertree and Warrington South seats, adding: “A Labour vote is now a wasted vote.”

Both constituencies are on a 50-strong target list, where a swing of no more than 10pc would oust sitting Labour MP – and condemn the party to election defeat.

Even a 10pc shift would be less than half the astonishing 22.5pc swing that lost Labour last week’s Glasgow East by-election and prompted fevered talk of a coup to bring down the Prime Minister.

In a summer podcast for the Lib-Dem website, a bullish Mr Clegg said Labour was “tear-ing itself apart” and could not deliver help with spiralling energy bills, or run public services effectively.

The leader said: “It’s over for them. There is no point voting Labour any more. There are no safe Labour seats. They will lose every by-election they fight in this parliament. And at the next General Election, they will lose in their heartlands to the Liberal Democrats. A Labour vote is now a wasted vote.”

Mr Clegg added: “This is a huge opportunity for us. We’ve got to seize it. So I’m shifting our resources to put more campaigners and more effort into those seats where we’re taking on Labour.”

In Wavertree, treasury minister Jane Kennedy will defend a majority of just 2,911 at the next election, after boundary changes – which means a swing of 4.45pc to the Lib-Dems would unseat her.

In Warrington South, the majority is only slightly bigger at 4,337, which means Helen Southworth would be defeated if Nick Clegg’s party can achieve an 8.6pc swing.

However, the Conservatives are the favourites to take the seat if Ms Southworth loses, having finished in second place last time round.

Mr Clegg said he was also sending Lord Rennard, his Liverpool-born campaigns chief, to the Democrats' convention in Denver in August, to listen and learn from American campaign techniques.

The comments mark a significant tactical shift from the 2005 election, when the Lib-Dems’ “decapitation strategy” aimed to unseat prominent Conservative MPs, such as David Davis and Theresa May.

Pollsters who have predicted the Lib-Dems will lose seats at the next election because of the rise of the Tories, will argue the new strategy reflects looming failure in the South and West.

Liverpool Wavertree MP Jane Kennedy has a 2,911 majority and a swing of 4.45% would be required to defeat her.

Warrington South MP Helen Southworth has a 4,337 majority and a swing of 8.60% would be required to defeat her.

Labour turmoil as Miliband refuses to back Brown

LABOUR was plunged into fresh turmoil last night after Foreign Secretary David Miliband refused – five times – to back Gordon Brown to stay in No.10 until the next election.

In what many saw as an astonishing display of disloyalty, Mr Miliband also declined to rule out challenging for the leadership, amid rising speculation of an autumn plot to topple the Prime Minister.

At a Westminster press conference Mr Miliband, the bookies’ favourite to succeed Mr Brown, called on the Labour Party to show voters it was offering “more change” – and suggested that was not happening.

He was careful not to openly challenge the Prime Minister, but pointedly said: “Gordon will lead us forward” – without saying that would last until the next election, delayed until 2010.

At one point, asked to rule himself out as a leadership challenger, Mr Miliband replied: “How many times do I have to say that this is about arguments, about issues, about a united Labour response?”

And, pressed further on whether Labour would be “mad” to change its leader before the election, he again avoided the question.