BRINGING back Tony Blair would be Labour's best chance of restoring its popularity and closing the gap with the Tories, according to a new poll.

The former Prime Minister is the only potential leader who could convince former Labour voters to come back to the fold, a survey found.

It was published as Gordon Brown faced a union revolt over his refusal to impose a windfall tax on fuel giants.

And London MP Harriet Harman, Labour's Deputy Leader, refused to deny that Labour MPs wanted Mr Brown to quit.

A poll by ComRes for the Independent found that 44 per cent of voters plan to support the Conservatives in a General Election, with 25 per cent saying they will back Labour and 17 per cent backing the Liberal Democrats.

Voters surveyed said they would be more likely to vote Labour if the party elected a new leader, such as David Miliband, Alan Johnson, Ed Balls, Harriet Harman or Jack Straw.

But the most popular choice for Labour leader was Tony Blair, who was forced out of office last year after backbench MPs and junior ministers circulated a letter demanding he name a date for quitting.

Many of those involved in the "coup", such as Minister Tom Watson, were supporters of Gordon Brown, the then Chancellor.

But today's poll found support for Labour would increase to 31 per cent if Mr Blair came back.

Mr Brown was facing a revolt by unions today after TUC leader Brendan Barber added his voice to calls for a windfall tax on fuel companies.

Around 100 Labour MPs are backing plans for a one-off tax on firms enjoying multi-billion pound profits, to subsidise bills for the poorest households and insulate homes.

The Government is to launch a package of measures on fuel bills next week, including measures to improve energy efficiency.

But it has reportedly scrapped plans to offer payments of up to £100 per head to help struggling families, after the energy companies refused to agree to provide the cash.

The decision to back down has angered unions, and Mr Barber will call on the Government to offer more help when he addresses the TUC annual conference on Monday.

He said: "Millions of ordinary people are looking to the Government to help them through this time of very significant economic uncertainty and they need to see the Government demonstrating that they are doing that in practical ways.

"If that isn't achieved by the Government, it risks badly losing public and electoral support."

Ms Harman, MP for Camberwell and Peckham, spoke candidly about the problems facing the party in an interview with The Guardian - but then refused to answer when asked if backbench MPs wanted Mr Brown to go.

Asked if a new leader would revive Labour's fortunes, she said: "There is not going to be a leadership challenge, nor should there be."

Labour could win the next election under Gordon Brown, she insisted.

"Absolutely. Gordon is a person of exceptional economic experience and is absolutely the best person to see us through this difficult time as Prime Minister," she said.

But asked whether any Labour MPs had suggested to her that she should tell Brown to resign unless things improved, she said: "I am not going to answer that question."

Related links: ComRes poll, Harriet Harman interview, windfall tax campaign, TUC conference site.

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