Brown's 'fairer' Britain? What a joke...

Battling to save his job, the Prime Minister audaciously claimed to be “on the side” of Middle Britain.

He used his keynote Labour conference speech to portray himself as the defender of “Britain’s vast majority, people on middle and modest incomes” suffering in the economic downturn.

His 57-minute address to the party faithful in Manchester was greeted with a four-minute standing ovation carefully orchestrated by spin doctors.

But outside the conference hall, where millions are struggling to make ends meet, his boasts of building a “fairer” Britain were greeted as nothing more than a sick joke.

Critics branded his words of sympathy for struggling households “thoroughly deceitful” and “a complete fiction”. He also failed to halt the growing Labour plot to oust him, with one minister describing his speech as “dreadful”.

Tory frontbencher Chris Grayling said: “People in Middle Britain will be astonished by Gordon Brown’s claim that he is on their side.

“Rising taxes, falling pension provision and the soaring cost of living are a result of Brown’s bust economy. The idea that he is doing the right thing for hard-working families is a fiction.”

Presenting himself as a “serious” man for tough times, Mr Brown vowed to create a “something-for-something, nothing-for-nothing society” where “hard work, effort and enterprise” is rewarded and fecklessness is punished.

“On the side of hard-working families is the only place I’ve ever wanted to be. And from now on it’s the only place I ever will be,” he said.

“In these uncertain times, we must be, we will be, the rock of stability and fairness upon which people stand.”

The Prime Minister acknowledged that “families have to make economies to make ends meet” but then went on to pledge to continue “our record investment” in the public sector.

He also made clear that Labour’s tax, borrowing and spending binge – funded from the pockets of Middle Britain – will be stepped up.

But critics said his words contrasted with the grim reality of more than 11 years of stealth taxation and destruction of the pensions system under Labour.

Mr Brown also tried to use the speech to stamp his authority back on his party. He slapped down Foreign Secretary David Miliband for signalling his readiness to replace him.

“Let me tell you, this is no time for a novice,” he said, in a double-edged dig at both Mr Miliband and Mr Cameron.

He also delighted Labour activists and trade unionists by signalling a lurch towards hard-left socialism.

He vowed to “rebuild the world financial system” and create “a new settlement for new times, a fair Britain for the new age”.

But his appeal for the hearts of the Labour grassroots failed to impress the plotters despairing at his historic unpopularity.

Campaigners also dismissed his claims to be on the side of Middle Britain. Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “This was a thoroughly deceitful speech.

“Gordon Brown’s words were about sympathising with ordinary people and protection in the credit crunch. But while people are struggling under a huge tax burden, he plans to increase public spending even further.”

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