LABOUR last night received one of the worst ever shares of the vote it has recorded in Euro elections in the North East as pressure mounted on Gordon Brown to quit.

With just 25% the vote, Labour Party members are today looking for an end to the expenses scandal and leadership strife that one MP said was “threatening to tear us apart”.

Stephen Hughes, Labour MEP, said his latest European election battle was the worst he had ever fought.

The North East re-elected its three MEPs last night with one from each of the three main parties chosen.

All three - Mr Hughes, the Conservative’s Martin Callanan and Liberal Democrat Fiona Hall - saw a reduction in their share of the vote.

Mr Hughes blamed his lowest ever share of the vote on news coverage of the Westminster expenses scandal.

He said “We need to get the message across that all parties know Westminster has to be cleaned up.

“I would say 90% the coverage in the mass media is dripping with poison. The Daily Telegraph has fed people daily revelations which are damaging our political system.

“As a result what we have seen is a growth in support for UKIP and the BNP parties that would damage our national interest if elected.”

The MEP said the blame for his share of the vote could not be laid at Gordon Brown’s door.

He said: “I do not think it would have been a different result if Gordon Brown was not in charge. ”It would have been different if the Telegraph was not dropping fresh criticisms every day and instead did something to back the political process.

“People were very angry on the doorsteps, I have never seen anything like it, never fought a campaign like it. I hope I never will again”.