A stable and strong economy will provide the bedrock on which the government will fight for a third term in office, Britain's Treasury chief Gordon Brown was set to tell the ruling Labour Party's annual convention yesterday, officials said.
The government is widely expected to call national elections early next year and ministers hope to float a raft of new policies at the five-day long conference that will appeal to voters.
"Under New Labour, Britain has had the lowest interest rates for 30 years, the lowest inflation for 40 years, the longest period of sustained economic growth for 200 years," Brown said in prepared remarks given to reporters by a Treasury official.
"From being a party not trusted with the economy, Labour is today the only party trusted with the economy."
The Chancellor of the Exchequer said he would stress Britain's commitment to stability when he meets ministers from the G7 nations on Friday and at the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank at the weekend.
"Facing global recovery that is uneven and still fragile, where oil prices have doubled and imbalances have worsened, I will tell the G7 and IMF when I travel to Washington later this week that we will take no risks with inflationary pay deals, and from this chancellor and this party no short termism, no easy options, no irresponsible pre-election promises," he said in the prepared remarks.
"We will never be complacent about stability," Brown said.
"We must show at all times we have the discipline and strength to take the tough long term fiscal and monetary decisions for Britain," he said.
Brown's speech is regarded by political commentators as an attempt to reassert his importance in preparing Labour for national elections.
Earlier this month Blair appointed his close ally, former health minister Alan Milburn, to manage the coming election campaign.
The move was widely seen as a blow to Brown, who fulfilled that role in previous years.
Brown is considered second in power to Blair and widely expected to succeed him as prime minister if he steps down.
According to persistent gossip in political circles, the Treasury chief is impatient to become premier and rivalry between him and Blair is reportedly intense.
In the prepared remarks for his speech yesterday, Brown stressed that Labour's pledges to improve public services would not be possible without the strong economy he has managed.
Officials know as they approach elections -- widely expected to take place in May next year -- that they must come up with strong new policies to capture the imagination of a public weary of the war and lacking trust in the prime minister.
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