LONDON - GORDON Brown told members of parliament on Sunday to keep their own pay increases this year below the rate of inflation, in solidarity with nurses, teachers and policeman whose pay hikes have been restricted.

MPs decide their own pay increases in a House of Commons vote but his comments will make it difficult for MPs to award themselves an above-inflation pay increase, as they have done in previous years.

'Government ministers must have a rate of pay increase that is below two per cent - 1.9 per cent. At the same time, my recommendation is that that is what goes for MPs,' Mr Brown told the BBC's Andrew Marr show.

Reports that a salaries review body had recommended a 2.8 per cent increase in MPs' pay angered police, nurses and other public sector employees who have been told their own pay rises must stay below a two per cent ceiling this year to keep inflation at bay.

Mr Brown said he would have liked to have paid the police, teachers and nurses more.

'It is very important in this year that we break the back of inflation. In future years, we will do better by the police, we can do better by nurses and teachers, we will do better by the army,' he added.

Mr Brown said restraint on public sector pay had been a key factor in allowing the Bank of England some flexibility on interest rates. The Bank recently lowered rates.

He said low inflation meant Britain was well placed to weather global financial turbulence, adding that he was 'cautious but positive' about the country's prospects in the face of a downturn.

'If we can get the basics of our economy moving forward in the right way - and this is a decisive year for the economy - then I believe we can see ourselves more prosperous in the years to come,' Mr Brown said. -- REUTERS