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Gordon Brown hits back
25/11/2007 14:11 - (SA)
London - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown defended his handling of the economy after his Labour government received a double dose of bad news in opinion polls on Sunday that saw its popularity plunging.
The polls showed that Brown, who took over from Tony Blair
in June after 10 years as finance minister, had been hurt by a
banking debacle and Britain's biggest ever identity fraud
crisis.
Brown, who just two months ago had been contemplating
calling an election two years earlier than he needed to, urged
disillusioned voters to take a long-term view.
"You always have events to deal with. Sometimes these are
decisions that you have to make where you have to react to
events in other parts of the world or events over which you have no control yourself," Brown said.
"The question at the end of the day is that people should
take a long-term view of what you are trying to achieve," Brown
told BBC Television at the Commonwealth summit he is attending
in Uganda.
Two months ago, Brown's ruling Labour Party enjoyed a 12
percentage point lead over the opposition Conservatives.
On Sunday that was wiped out in a News of the World opinion
poll - they were both running neck and neck on 38%.
The poll also gave Conservative leader David Cameron an
eight percentage point lead over the prime minister - he was on
46% compared to 38% for Brown.
Another poll in the Sunday Telegraph suggested that 50% of voters were dissatisfied with finance minister Alistair Darling.
The government's popularity has evaporated after mortgage
lender Northern Rock was hit by Britain's first run on a bank in 140 years and the revelation that almost half the country's
population could potentially become identity fraud victims.
Britain's tax authority admitted that the records of 25
million people had gone astray on two missing computer discs.
Brown insists the economy is not in for a rough ride -
which could torpedo his long-term electoral prospects.
- Reuters
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