I will do better!!

I will do better, Brown pledges

By Emma Griffiths BBC News, Labour conference, Manchester

Gordon Brown: 'These are testing times for people's wisdom'

Gordon Brown has told the BBC he will "do better" as prime minister but says he is the man with the experience to lead Britain through tough times.

He said he was "never complacent" and had made mistakes on the 10p tax rate but had made the right decisions on Northern Rock and short selling.

"I always want to do better and I will do better," he told the BBC.

An internet survey suggests Labour could be left with as few as 160 MPs at the next general election.

But Mr Brown said opinion polls were a referendum on the government of the day and the real choice, based on policies, would come at the next general election.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7627812.stm

We'll do whatever it takes !!

Brown pledges action on economy

Gordon Brown has voiced his concern for workers in the financial industry

Gordon Brown has opened Labour's annual conference in Manchester with a pledge to do "whatever it takes" to sort out Britain's financial system.

The PM hailed the action his government has taken to help stabilise the money markets in the past week.

But he said he would now push for reforms to the global finance system.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7626580.stm

Hoon your singing my Toon , promotion on the way !!

Hoon hits out over Cabinet leaks

Geoff Hoon said cabinet confidentiality should not be breached

Chief whip Geoff Hoon has slapped down Cabinet colleagues who anonymously brief journalists about Gordon Brown.

It was "quite wrong" if ministers were behind stories emerging from supposedly confidential Cabinet meetings, he said.

He also told the BBC's Straight Talk he did not believe there was a Blairite plot to depose Mr Brown.

And he said the PM's much vaunted "vision" was just "shorthand" for a "range of measures that the government believes are necessary".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7625768.stm

We can come through this difficult time , take the rough with the smooth , you b**tards

PM hits back over leadership talk

Mr Brown has urged unity ahead of the Labour conference in Manchester

Gordon Brown has struck a defiant note ahead of this weekend's Labour Party conference in Manchester.

He urged Labour MPs to focus on core values and said "we can come through this difficult time".

He told Sky News he would not be forced out by rebels saying leaders had to take "the rough with the smooth".

Mr Brown has arrived in Manchester for the party conference, as a survey of Labour members and supporters suggest the majority want him to stand down.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7624796.stm

Here I come Superbrown I'll clean up the City !! Mark my words !!

Brown pledge to 'clean up' City
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown says he wants to end 'irresponsible' behaviour by financiers

Gordon Brown has pledged to "clean-up" the financial system following the rescue of Britain's biggest mortgage lender HBOS by Lloyds TSB.

The prime minister said he had taken "quick action" to "maintain the stability of the financial system".

But he said he also had proposals to end "irresponsible behaviour" in the money markets to prevent similar problems happening in the future.

The government by-passed competition laws to allow the takeover to happen.

The £12.2bn deal will create a mega bank that will dwarf its nearest rivals in the UK mortgage and savings market.

It follows the dramatic collapse in the share price of HBOS, Britain's biggest mortgage lender, amid fears it was exposed to bad debt. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7623053.stm

Darling I Love you !!!!!

Darling urges MPs to back Brown
Gordon Brown
Seventy Labour MPs would need to back a challenger to Gordon Brown

Chancellor Alistair Darling has urged Labour colleagues to "get behind" Gordon Brown who, he said, was the "right person to lead this country".

People expected the government to be tackling the "unprecedented turbulence" in the financial markets, he said.

Labour's ruling National Executive Committee is due to discuss rebel MPs' call for leadership nomination forms to be sent out to all Labour MPs.

Twelve have requested forms but would need 70 MPs' support for a contest.

On Monday an unnamed, middle-ranking, government minister told the BBC he was considering resigning over Mr Brown's leadership, saying: "You can't go on saying 'I think Gordon Brown is the man to lead us to victory' when you don't believe it." 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7617984.stm

Challenge away , see if I care

Labour to rule on leadership bid
Gordon Brown
Seventy Labour MPs would need to back a challenger to Gordon Brown

Labour Party chiefs are expected to try to block attempts to force Gordon Brown to face a leadership contest.

The party's National Executive Committee is tipped to reject requests for leadership nomination forms from MPs unhappy with the PM's performance.

Mr Brown is coming under increasing pressure from within his own party to face a leadership contest.

The latest MP to speak out - an unnamed government minister - has said he may resign his post over the issue. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7617984.stm

See what I do for you !!!!

Brown unveils £910m fuel measures

Gordon Brown announces energy-saving measures

Gordon Brown has agreed a £910m package of measures with the big energy companies aimed at helping people with soaring gas and electricity bills.

It includes half price insulation for all households and a freeze on this year's bills for the poorest families.

Pensioners and unemployed people with young children will get an extra £16.50 a week if there is a severe winter.

But the measures were attacked as "ridiculous" by the unions, who want a windfall tax on the energy giants.

The package includes:

• Free cavity wall and loft insulation for pensioners and poor households
• 50% off cost of insulation for all households
• Freeze on this year's bills for half a million poor consumers
• Partial reversal of cut to warm front programme giving free central heating to poorest pensioners
• Cold weather payments to go up from £8.50 a week to £25 a week for pensioners, disabled people and unemployed families with children under five - if temperatures drop below zero for seven consecutive days

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7609036.stm

Me cave in ? NEVER !!

Brown 'backs more Holyrood power'

Read Brian Taylor's blog

The Scottish National Party has claimed that Gordon Brown is "caving in to pressure" to concede more powers to the Scottish Parliament.

It follows the prime minister's speech at the CBI dinner in Glasgow in which he indicated that he favoured enhanced financial powers for Holyrood.

Mr Brown said the Union was key to the economy but indicated the prospect of greater financial accountability.

Mr Brown's aides denied this was a concession to Nationalist pressure.

Speaking to the dinner on Thursday night, Mr Brown said there was a risk of waking up and finding the benefits of the Union had been thrown away.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/7599295.stm

Improve or quit, Clarke tells Brown , What does he know ? Idiot !!!

Improve or quit, Clarke tells Brown

Gordon Brown's leadership was called into further question when former Home Secretary Charles Clarke warned he had just months to prove himself or he would have to "stand down with honour".

Mr Clarke had already re-ignited the prospects of a leadership challenge when he warned the Labour Party would not allow the Premier to lead them to "utter destruction" at the next election.

In an article for the New Statesman magazine, Mr Clarke said there was a "deep and widely shared concern" within the party that the Government was currently heading for disaster.

But in an interview with the BBC, the former Cabinet minister warned the Premier he would have to improve or "stand down as Prime Minister with honour and have a proper leadership election".

Mr Brown had been a "brilliant Chancellor" but had not established his political authority.

It was "entirely possible" for him to "turn it around" but if he failed to do this and then did not then resign the Cabinet would have to decide on a course of action. But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that at present there was no "clarity" about how to address the "deep concerns" within the party.

He said: "What I believe is there are two essential possibilities, both of which are perfectly honourable. The first is for the performance of the Government to improve significantly ... or the second is for Gordon Brown to stand down as Prime Minister with honour and have a proper leadership election to address the proper issues. Both of those are perfectly reputable courses of action."

Asked how long Mr Brown had left, he said: "I think it is a question of months really. It is a question of seeing how it works forward and whether he can deal with the situation.

http://www.midsussextimes.co.uk/latest-national-news/Improve-or-quit-Clarke-tells.4457815.jp

Fall out with my Darling ? NEVER !!!

Number 10 denies chancellor rift

The chancellor' s comments have been described as 'extraordinary'

Downing Street has denied reports of a rift with the chancellor following his grim warnings over the economy.

Number 10 said it was working closely with Mr Darling on ways to alleviate the impact of the economic downturn.

Mr Darling told a newspaper at the weekend that Britain was facing its worst economic crisis for 60 years.

Meanwhile, Conservative leader David Cameron has warned large-scale attempts to refloat the mortgage market could be "quite dangerous".

The Bank of England figures show the number of new mortgages approved for home buyers fell in July to just 33,000, a 71% drop since last year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7591346.stm

Leaked letter ? , find out who leaked it !!!

Leaked letter predicts crime rise

Home Office minister says letter is statement of the "blindingly obvious"

Crime levels are set to rise because of the economic downturn, according to a leaked Home Office letter.

The draft letter to Downing Street said rising property crime and violent crime, and increased hostility to migrants, were likely.

It also forecast more smuggling of fuel, alcohol and tobacco.

Home Office minister Tony McNulty said the letter was a "statement of the blindingly obvious", as it was clear crime may go up in the slowdown.

The letter was draft advice which had not been cleared by home secretary Jacqui Smith and had not been sent to Number 10, the Home Office said.

Migrant workers

The letter based its suggestions about property crime, such as burglary, and violent crime on the experience of the recession in the early 1990s.

It said if the economic slowdown was on a similar scale over the next couple of years, property crime would be likely to rise by 7% in 2008 and a further 2% in 2009.

FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from Today programme

The letter added that a downturn would affect the need for migrant workers, particularly in jobs such as construction where they make up a large proportion of the workforce.

"Increased public hostility to migrants" was predicted to result from heightened competition for employment.

The leaked letter stated: "There is a risk of a downturn increasing the appeal of far-right extremism and racism, which presents a threat as there is evidence that grievances based on experiencing racism are one of the factors that can lead to people becoming terrorists."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7591072.stm