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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Minister admits 'difficult times' | Minister admits 'difficult times' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The government and people of Britain face "difficult times", Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has admitted. | The government and people of Britain face "difficult times", Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has admitted. |
| Her comments come as the Tories seek to pin the blame for the present economic crisis on Prime Minister Gordon Brown. | Her comments come as the Tories seek to pin the blame for the present economic crisis on Prime Minister Gordon Brown. |
| Ms Blears played down suggestions the cabinet was split, saying it was more "cooperative" than under Tony Blair. | Ms Blears played down suggestions the cabinet was split, saying it was more "cooperative" than under Tony Blair. |
| She defended Mr Brown's performance, saying he was "a pretty serious person who thinks very deeply about decisions and is also a man of conviction". | She defended Mr Brown's performance, saying he was "a pretty serious person who thinks very deeply about decisions and is also a man of conviction". |
| Mr Brown's decision to axe the 10p starting tax rate has been criticised by many Labour MPs, his opinion poll ratings have been poor recently and he faces a struggle to get an extension of terror detention through Parliament. | Mr Brown's decision to axe the 10p starting tax rate has been criticised by many Labour MPs, his opinion poll ratings have been poor recently and he faces a struggle to get an extension of terror detention through Parliament. |
| At the same time there has been growing economic gloom as the fall-out from the credit crunch grows - Mr Brown is preparing to travel to the US on Tuesday to meet finance chiefs and discuss the global economic crisis. | At the same time there has been growing economic gloom as the fall-out from the credit crunch grows - Mr Brown is preparing to travel to the US on Tuesday to meet finance chiefs and discuss the global economic crisis. |
| 'More cooperative' | 'More cooperative' |
| "It's difficult times for government, it's difficult times in the country," Ms Blears told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. | "It's difficult times for government, it's difficult times in the country," Ms Blears told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. |
| I think with Gordon Brown, what you've got is a pretty serious person who thinks very deeply about decisions and is also a man of conviction Hazel BlearsCommunities Secretary class="" href="/1/hi/uk_politics/7345730.stm">Tories pin economic woes on PM | |
| "And I entirely understand that people are concerned about their own finances, they're concerned about homes, utility bills, cost of living. | "And I entirely understand that people are concerned about their own finances, they're concerned about homes, utility bills, cost of living. |
| "That's the reality of it, but actually, the test of any government is when you're in difficult times, how do you perform? Do you stand firm?" | "That's the reality of it, but actually, the test of any government is when you're in difficult times, how do you perform? Do you stand firm?" |
| However, Ms Blears said the Cabinet under Mr Brown was "more co-operative" than it ever was under Tony Blair. | However, Ms Blears said the Cabinet under Mr Brown was "more co-operative" than it ever was under Tony Blair. |
| "I've heard all these stories about people in the Cabinet disagreeing...I've seen more joined up working. There's much more integrated policy making now than I have seen before," she said. | "I've heard all these stories about people in the Cabinet disagreeing...I've seen more joined up working. There's much more integrated policy making now than I have seen before," she said. |
| Trust | |
| Her comments come as Shadow Chancellor George Osborne prepares to pin the blame for the present economic crisis on Mr Brown, in a speech to the Policy Exchange think tank. | |
| "At the root of the problem is the failure of the government's economic policy," he will say. | |
| Meanwhile a Financial Times/Harris opinion poll suggests 68% of voters are "not confident at all" in Labour's ability to handle the crisis. | |
| The survey of 1,122 people in the UK was conducted online between 27 March and 8 April. |