Even though he was not on the ballot, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown took a beating in local elections last week. His Labour Party suffered its worst election loss in 40 years, animating Conservatives who now smell blood and prompting calls for Mr. Brown to hand over the reins of power to a more popular leader. With two years to go before he must call elections, Mr. Brown shows no signs of backing down. He has time to reverse his — and his party's — standing, but he must be both more resolute and more nimble than he has been thus far.

In the May 1 elections for local council seats in England and Wales, the Labour Party lost 331 seats while Conservatives picked up 256. That dismal outcome was repeated in opinion polls after the vote, which showed support for the Conservatives at 40 percent, 11 points ahead of Labour. More worrisome for the prime minister, 55 percent of his own supporters want him to step down.

Mr. Brown is not obliging. He remains convinced — as national leaders are — that he is the best man for the job. He blamed economic problems stemming from the U.S. housing crisis for his ill fortunes, overlooking his own missteps: eliminating the lowest tax bracket, a decision that hurt over 5 million households and indecision over calling early elections.