GORDON Brown has "squandered his reputation" by not calling a general election, says a Tory MP.

Peter Luff, MP for Mid Worcestershire, has criticised the Prime Minister for "playing games with the electorate" after he opted not to hold a snap general election after early indications that he would.

Mr Brown has already come under attack from Tory leader David Cameron for the U-turn.

Mr Cameron has accused him of not being straight with the public and of treating the British people "as fools."

Mr Luff said: "I think he's really squandered his reputation for integrity. We all know he wanted to go to the polls because he was ahead then that changed - it's as straightforward as that. He began this whole business my encouraging senior colleagues to say there may be a general election. Now he's paid the price for playing games with the electorate. It was such a naked piece of political opportunism. It's an extraordinary misjudgement."

Robin Walker, Parliamentary candidate for Worcester, said it showed a "lack of nerve" from the Prime Minster.

He added that his father Peter, who was Conservative MP for Worcester between March 1961 and April 1992, believed David Cameron's conference speech was one of the greatest he had ever heard.

Mr Walker said:"It shows Gordon Brown is playing calculating politics. He was hoping to catch us out. He counted without the strength of the policies the Conservative Party is putting forward. It was frankly an amazing speech by David Cameron. It was there and it was fantastic.

"Gordon Brown has built up people's hopes and expectations. There has been a a betrayal of trust."

But Labour MP for Worcester, Mike Foster, said the decision to hold an election was always going to be a finely balanced one and that turnout for a November election would have been lower than a spring one.

He added: "Gordon Brown decided it was not in the best interests of the country to have an election at this point. The people of Worcester will be spared from being bombarded with leaflets for the next three weeks. The prospect of going out to vote on a dark and miserable November evening has disappeared.

"I think to rely on the polls is a bit misleading.

Three weeks ago in Worcester we had a sizeable swing from Conservative to Labour in a bi-election and only a week ago Labour was riding high in the polls. The press from last weekend still suggested that Labour would have won the election."