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'I feel voters' pain', says Brown 'I feel voters' pain', says Brown
(10 minutes later)
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he understands people's "hurt", in the aftermath of Labour's worst local election results in 40 years.Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he understands people's "hurt", in the aftermath of Labour's worst local election results in 40 years.
Mr Brown told the BBC it had "not been the best weekend", adding that voters were worried about rising petrol and food prices and utility bills.Mr Brown told the BBC it had "not been the best weekend", adding that voters were worried about rising petrol and food prices and utility bills.
"I do understand this and I feel the hurt that they feel," Mr Brown said."I do understand this and I feel the hurt that they feel," Mr Brown said.
He said Labour had to show there was a "clear and unequivocal" plan to deal with the "economic downturn".He said Labour had to show there was a "clear and unequivocal" plan to deal with the "economic downturn".
Labour's poor local election results were topped by Ken Livingstone's defeat by Boris Johnson in London's mayoral race.
But asked if the party could recover, Mr Brown told BBC One's Andrew Marr programme: "Of course we can recover from this position and I'll tell you how.
'Take fight to Tories'
"First of all by sorting out the immediate problem with the economy and showing people we can come through as we have in the past very difficult economic times.
"Secondly by showing people that we have the vision of the future that will carry this country optimistically in my view into its next phase."
Various newspapers have speculated about plans to oust Mr Brown as Labour leader - but the prime minister told the BBC: "I don't believe any MPs are saying that."
He said he would be "taking the fight to the Conservative Party" over the next few months. He said Labour was on the side of "hard-working families" which was intervening to try to ease problems, while the Conservatives would "walk away and leave people defenceless as they did in the 1990s".