UK Labour rebels may tell PM Brown to quit: report

LONDON (Reuters) - A group of rebel Labour members of parliament (MPs) is seeking signatures for a letter calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to step down, the Guardian newspaper reported on its website on Wednesday.

No hard copy of the letter exists but a network of backbench MPs is canvassing opinions to gauge the level of support for the prime minister, the report added.

Instead of an actual letter, an email address is being handed out to which MPs can send a message saying they would support a single sentence statement calling on Brown to go.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears announced her resignation on Wednesday, the second cabinet minister to quit within 24 hours, undermining Brown ahead of local and European elections on Thursday.

The rebels could wait until Monday morning, when European and local elections results are in, before moving against the prime minister, the report said.

Labour faces a rout in Thursday's elections, setting it on course for defeat in a parliamentary election due within a year.