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LONDON, ENGLAND - BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Sunday he was confident his Labour Party would recover from a disastrous performance in local elections and rejected suggestions he should resign.
As commentators warned that last week's poll rout could spell the end for the Labour government at national elections due by 2010, he admitted mistakes had been made but said the global economic slowdown was largely to blame for his party's performance.
'Of course we can recover from this position and I will tell you how,' he told BBC television in his first interview since the elections.
'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 we have a vision of the future that will carry the country - optimistically in my view - into its next phase.' Mr Brown said Labour was putting 'big building blocks' in place for the future, such as giving working families a fair deal and helping people buy their first home.
He conceded that rumours last year about him calling a snap general election before he decided against holding a vote had been damaging.
'I let speculation on the general election go on for too long and perhaps I spent too little time on getting our message across,' Mr Brown said, adding he would now spend more time travelling the country to meet voters.
He said he is looking forward to the battle against the main opposition Conservative Party, who were the big winners in the elections in England and Wales in which Labour had their worst result in 40 years.
Asked if he would stand down less than a year since taking over from Tony Blair, Mr Brown said: 'I think it is time to get on with the job.
'I'm resolute and determined and I've got conviction and ideas and I'm not going to be put off by a few days' headlines from the job that I'm determined to do for this country.' -- AFP
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