Brown is leader of the fashion disaster stakes

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has received a pre-election kick in the pants, being named the worst-dressed man of the year by the British edition of GQ magazine.

Brown, who faces a gruelling battle at this year's general election, beat off competition from French President Nicolas Sarkozy, controversial British comedian Russell Brand and reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for the title.

Brown moves from three in last year's rankings to top the 2010 list for being "anything but a prime example of British style", the men's magazine said.

"Perhaps the French president should spend less time worrying about his stature and more time worrying about his style," it added of Sarkozy, who reportedly at 1.65 metres, often wears stacked heels.

London mayor Boris Johnson also made the top 10.

British actor Robert Pattinson, 23, star of the Twilight vampire romance franchise, meanwhile, topped the best dressed list, which comes out on Thursday.

The members of pop band Take That came in second, followed by Arctic Monkeys' singer Alex Turner, with US style guru Tom Ford, Bond star Daniel Craig and Elton John's partner David Furnish also winning top 10 spots.

David Cameron, leader of Britain's main opposition Conservative party and widely tipped to win this year's election, was named at number eight.

Footballer David Beckham and rapper Dizzee Rascal rounded off the top 10.

Singer Grace Jones, known for her unique fashion style, made the top 50 at 42 – despite not being a man, with the magazine stating: "Name one man who can make the tuxedo look this cool."

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