UK's Brown focused on economy, not poll

Source: Agencies  |   2008-11-23  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown is not planning to call an early national election to capitalize on his widely praised handling of the financial crisis.

Brown, who must call a vote by mid-2010, told BBC radio on Friday that he is focused exclusively on tackling the downturn - and that he isn't contemplating an early election campaign.

"My undivided attention is on the economy. I am not thinking about anything else. It is 100 percent of my attention, and you can just discount all of these stories," Brown said.

Some governing Labour Party law makers believe Brown should call a poll within months, claiming that his role in leading efforts to fix the world's economic woes could win over wavering voters.

They suggest Brown should call an election soon after an expected visit by US President-elect Barack Obama to Europe in April, when the British leader could seek to harness the new leader's popularity for his own campaign.

Advocates point to a narrowing of the main opposition Conservative Party's lead over Brown's governing Labour Party in opinion polls. The latest Ipsos-Mori poll of 1,002 adults gave the Conservatives 40 percent support, with Brown's Labour at 37 percent.