Broughan's comments to the Sunday Tribune follow the declaration by Rabbitte that "there is a problem with the Labour brand".

Rabbitte's analysis has put in the public domain an internal debate which has been under way since Labour's disappointing general election performance. Broughan is, however, the first member of the Labour parliamentary party publicly to question Rabbitte's continuation as party leader.

Rabbitte replaced Ruairi Quinn as leader in October 2002. His term as leader comes up for renewal in the autumn of 2008.

"There is a year to go in this period of leadership and everybody is reflecting on the strategic decisions made over the last five years. Everybody would agree that Pat has given it his very best shot, " Broughan said.

Broughan follows Brendan Howlin in disagreeing with Rabbitte's analysis about Labour's lack of connection with the electorate.

Howlin last weekend said there was not "a fundamental problem with the brand. They [the voters] may even like our brand and our values but doubt our capacity to deliver on them."

Broughan was more forthright in his rejection of Rabbitte's assessment.

"Developing a brand is a very crass approach for a political party but obviously, as a result of the general election, there is a need to look at our message. A leader can, if they wish, create a very positive and broad image for their party . . . that goes with the position. My priority would be to build for the local and European elections in two years' time so that we can break the monolith of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael."

Should a leadership vacancy arise, the TDs likely to consider entering a contest for the position include Howlin, Broughan, Eamon Gilmore and Joan Burton. Howlin lost out previously to Rabbitte and also to Ruairi Quinn for the top position.

Rabbitte's 'brand' speech, delivered earlier this month, has been viewed by many of his party colleagues as a puzzling thinking-out-loud exercise for an incumbent leader.

As one TD said last week: "The sentiments were more those of an aspiring leader rather than someone who has been in the job for almost five years."

In the speech, Rabbitte said: "In marketing parlance, there is a problem with the Labour brand. In using that term, I am not referring to something superficial, such as the way we package the party. I am referring to the spontaneous associations and reactions that voters have when they see the words 'Labour Party' . . . the way we are seen in modern Ireland.

What does that mean, that there is a problem with the brand? It means that the Labour Party does not conjure up in people's minds, much less inspire, a definite sense of what the party stands for and how it relates to their day-to-day lives."

Along with Howlin and Broughan, Michael D Higgins is the other senior Labour figure to question Rabbitte's leadership strategy.

Higgins signalled his own disapproval for the Mullingar Accord with Fine Gael and called on the party to be open to dealing with other parties once policy issues had been reconciled.