Prime Minister Gordon Brown's keynote speech addressed to the Labour Party conference seems to have left a positive mark with voters, an opinion poll published Thursday revealed.

The YouGov poll showed the Labour Party at 31 per cent, a seven- point gain over previous surveys, while the Conservatives had the backing of 41 per cent of those asked which party they wished to see in government.

At the height of the speculation over Brown's leadership, Labour had lagged by more than 20 points behind the Conservatives.

However, there were signs Thursday that the trouble for Brown may not be over.

Newspapers speculating about the sudden departure from the government of Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said she had been "pushed out" by Brown in a "ruthless attempt to flush rebels out of the cabinet."

After a conference speech that was generally seen as having given him some breathing space, Brown was in New York Thursday to take part in discussions at the United Nations on global poverty and the turmoil in world markets.