Plummeting popularity levels and mounting controversy could cost Premier Ewart Brown his job, a Government MP predicted last night.

The parliamentarian said the furore surrounding the Premier just eight months into his leadership was causing even former supporters to question his worth.

Recently Dr. Brown risked a constitutional crisis after threatening to suspend relations with the Governor who he blamed for not protecting leaked Police files from the probe into the Bermuda Housing Corporation.

The fall-out has seen media gags, the arrest of the Auditor General and the Premier announcing his intention to sue the media.

The MP, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed people in the Premier’s own party and even within Cabinet, were voicing concern.

“The people lobbying to get him in last time are the people most upset now whereas the people who didn’t support him are saying: ‘We told you so’.

“People gave him the benefit of the doubt and hoped he would pull his socks up. There’s disquiet. It reflects badly on the party.

“I don’t know what is going to happen. I know some of the MPs are definitely upset and some Cabinet members are definitely upset with respect to what’s going on.

“It tarnishes the Cabinet as well as other MPs in parliament and members of the party.”

And those words were backed up by another MP who said the dissent was now coming from those who had been among the eleven rebels who backed Dr. Brown’s bid to replace Jennifer Smith just after the 2003 election. Now they were seeing he could be an electoral liability, said the MP.

The MP said: “A lot of politics is a ‘me’ game. All this might jeopardise their chances.”

Rumblings are also emerging within the PLP over the Premier’s presidential style.

The first MP said: “The question is whether they speak to him about it. Clearly his popularity with members is plummeting as a consequence.”

But the MP said Dr. Brown had become so isolated, an attempt to rein him in would probably do no good. “No one talks to him. He’s in his own world with his arrogance and power.”

Some MPs and candidates who spoke to The Royal Gazette denied there was a problem or played down the likelihood of a leadership challenge before the election which must be held by January 2009.

But the source said there was plenty of time to make a switch. “I don’t know what makes them think there would not be a change. If he’s going to continue to damage the party there will be no choice, no one is risking losing the election because of him.

“He could be removed. People are not that complacent. If there is a choice between the election and Brown then Brown definitely goes.”

Chief Whip Ottiwell Simmons said he had not heard anything about moves against Dr. Brown.

“He has my full support, yes of course.”

Asked if Government needed to take a softer line after the recent showdowns Mr. Simmons said: “Quite frankly I have no solutions, all I see is everything hanging in there. I, like the rest of the public, am looking at what direction all this is going to take us.

“I am a nationalist and want to see this nation stable and running smoothly.

“I think someone is rocking the boat somewhere along the way. I am standing on the shore seeing the boat being rocked and I cannot see who’s doing it. Bermuda deserves to be run without all this controversy. Bermuda deserves better.”

And Mr. Simmons said the likelihood of a summer election was diminishing amid the ruckus.

“At one point I thought it would definitely be this summer but now it is difficult to see when it will be.”

The decision on the election date rests with the Premier alone but a variety of sources among PLP MPs and candidates tipped Christmas as the most likely date for the Government to go to the hustings.

One MP said: “I am sure there will be a delay. There’s so much disillusionment going on. He would be a fool to call it with all this over his head.”