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Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon have written to Labour MPs saying the issue must be sorted out "once and for all".



They said the party was "deeply divided" and "grumbling".



Downing St said Mr Brown was "getting on with the job", while the leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party said the call "has very little support".

Senior Labour sources told the BBC the move was "completely unconstitutional" although another Brown critic, Barry Sheerman, said a vote could be held at next Monday's weekly meeting of Labour MPs in Parliamen
'Frustration'


In their letter Ms Hewitt - a former health secretary - and Mr Hoon, a former defence secretary who was also Labour's chief whip, said it was clear the party was "deeply divided over the question of the leadership".

They said the continued "uncertainty" was "damaging our ability to set out our strong case to the electorate" and only a secret ballot of all Labour MPs would resolve the issue.




This is not an attempted coup


Patricia Hewitt


Live coverage, including letter in full

They wrote: "There is a risk otherwise that the persistent background briefing and grumbling could continue up to and possibly through the election campaign, affecting our ability to concentrate all of our energies on getting our real message across."



Ms Hewitt, who is stepping down as an MP at the election, told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "This is not an attempted coup. It's exactly what we say in the letter - it's an attempt to get this matter sorted out once and for all."


'Self indulgent'

Mr Hoon told the BBC he had not spoken to any current cabinet ministers about their views, adding it was a "matter for the Parliamentary Labour Party".
He added: "There is a great deal of talk. If we are going to go into an election campaign, we need to resolve these matters once and for all.

"This is about ensuring that the Labour Party can go united into what is in any event going to be a difficult campaign supporting a strong leader that we can all back in that contest."


Weeks before the country gets to choose who should be its next prime minister Labour MPs are considering taking the decision for them


Nick Robinson
BBC's political editor


Read Nick's thoughts in full

Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward gave the prime minister his support and Health Secretary Andy Burnham told the BBC he did not support the secret ballot and most Labour MPs would be annoyed at the move.


BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said there had not been a rush of support from other cabinet members.


But he said Business Secretary Lord Mandelson had sent out a text saying: "This is a complete over-reaction, these people are not members of the government, no one is resigning from the government. We should carry on government business as usual in my view."


Cabinet 'behind Brown'

Schools Secretary Ed Balls told Sky News it was "frustrating" that the call had been made shortly after a "really good prime minister's questions".


But he said the cabinet was "fully behind Gordon Brown" as was the PLP.

Labour MP Frank Field and former home secretary Charles Clarke, who have criticised Mr Brown in the past, both told the BBC they welcomed the call.


This kind of thing is diversionary, it's stupid

Margaret Beckett

Mr Sheerman, who acknowledged he was one of the "usual suspects" in calling for a change of leadership, told the BBC: "There are many of us that still passionately believe that if you have a party leader whose personal rating is well below his party's, then you have to look at the leadership."



But former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett said: "This kind of thing is diversionary, it's stupid and I hope nobody will pay any attention to it at all."



And chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party Tony Lloyd told the BBC a leadership ballot was not what the party, or the British public, wanted.


"Geoff Hoon has very little support and that's the real issue for the Parliamentary party - what we want is Gordon Brown ignoring this."

'Dysfunctional'


Senior Labour sources told the BBC that the move was "completely unconstitutional" and the Labour Party could only call a leadership election through a card vote at the party conference.

Conservative Party chairman Eric Pickles said: "We have a situation now where every day a Labour MP is turning on the prime minister.

"It's irresponsible to have such a dysfunctional, faction-ridden Labour Party running the country."

And Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's chief of staff Danny Alexander said Labour had "given up hope" of winning the election
"Labour MPs are now in a desperate scrabble to save their own seats and minimise their defeat," he said.

Both opposition parties urged the prime minister to call a general election - one must be called by early June but 6 May is currently considered the most likely datMr Brown has faced continued criticism from some within his party since he succeeded Tony Blair in 2007 - he was unchallenged for the leadership.

But he saw off efforts to unseat him last year, when cabinet minister James Purnell quit and called on him to go.