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Brown ready to face party members 'Best man for job' asserts Brown
(about 3 hours later)
Prime Minister Gordon Brown faces a critical five days as the Labour Party conference starts in Manchester. Gordon Brown has repeated that he is the man to steer Britain though the current financial turmoil, as questions continue over his leadership.
Mr Brown is due to address party members for the first time since a group of MPs made calls for him to face a leadership contest. In an article for the Guardian he said the government had taken "necessary and decisive action this week to keep the financial system moving".
He will join senior cabinet colleagues to take questions about the financial crisis and economic downturn. The prime minster's comments come ahead of the Labour Party annual conference.
On Friday he said the rebels would not force him out, saying leaders had to take "the rough with the smooth". On Tuesday Mr Brown will address party members, his first speech to them since some MPs demanded a leadership contest.
The conference is being seen as a crucial five days for Mr Brown - a chance to prove his authority and see off potential leadership challengers.
It got off to a good start on Saturday, with news that Harry Potter author JK Rowling had donated £1m to the Labour Party.
'Dramatic change'
In the Guardian, Mr Brown said the past week's financial turbulence provided the "starkest demonstration yet that we are living in an era of dramatic global change".
[The conference] is about teamwork, it's about every single member of the government, MPs, councillors, party activists getting on with the job Communities Secretary Hazel Blears
He said the US government now owned much of the US mortgage market and a large part of the world's biggest insurer, and two of Britain's biggest banks and mortgage lenders have had to merge.
He added: "Just as when we stopped Northern Rock going to the wall...we have acted to secure people's savings, support the housing market and underpin liquidity in the banking sector.
"And with our support, the Financial Services Authority has banned short-selling of financial stocks."
Continuing criticism
But criticism of Mr Brown's financial competence has continued, with harsh words from the chairman of Marks and Spencer Sir Stuart Rose.
He told the BBC that the government should have acted quicker when it became clear last year that Britain was entering a period of sustained economic weakness. Speaking before this week's unprecedented financial upheaval, Sir Stuart said: "The recognition that this was a more deep-seated issue was a bit long in coming."
"The people in the UK want to feel confident somebody, somewhere knows what the problem is and is dealing with it."
Virtual manifesto
The BBC's political correspondent, Vicky Young, says delegates to the Labour Party's conference in Manchester are likely to be told that instead of in-fighting, they should show the people of the UK they care about the same thing - the economy.
But the speculation over Mr Brown's future shows no signs of dying down with a newspaper article from Foreign Secretary David Miliband which is being seen by some as a virtual manifesto for the post of Labour Party leader.
Across four pages of Saturday's Daily Mirror, Mr Miliband - seen as a front runner for Mr Brown's job - sets out his views on the future, on the Conservative leader David Cameron, and on education.
He also talks about his background, his wife, his children and his love of Arsenal football club. But just in case there was any doubt, he said there was no "vacancy" for the top job.
United frontUnited front
Health Secretary Alan Johnson, also seen as a potential leadership contender, ruled himself out of a bid for the job and called on the party to get behind Mr Brown.
He told the Times the prime minister was the right man to lead the party "at the moment" because of his economic experience, and urged rebels calling for a leadership contest to "shut up".
On Friday, Mr Brown said the rebels would not force him out, saying leaders had to take "the rough with the smooth".
The Communities Secretary Hazel Blears says the conference must show a united Labour front.The Communities Secretary Hazel Blears says the conference must show a united Labour front.
She told BBC News: "I think this week is about teamwork, it's about every single member of the government, MPs, councillors, party activists getting on with the job."She told BBC News: "I think this week is about teamwork, it's about every single member of the government, MPs, councillors, party activists getting on with the job."
Ms Blears said it was essential the conference focused on the bread-and-butter issues, such as household finances, education and employment.Ms Blears said it was essential the conference focused on the bread-and-butter issues, such as household finances, education and employment.
She said: "That for me has always been my politics - rooted and grounded in everyday life and that's where I mean to carry on."She said: "That for me has always been my politics - rooted and grounded in everyday life and that's where I mean to carry on."