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PM reveals key election pledges PM unveils key election pledges
(20 minutes later)
Gordon Brown has said his top priority is securing the economic recovery and Labour is the "people's party", as he outlines election pledges. Gordon Brown has said the economic recovery is top of his list of five election pledges, as he hailed Labour as the "people's party".
The prime minister told activists Labour would put the "British people first" ahead of "vested interests". The prime minister told party activists Labour would put the "British people first" ahead of "vested interests".
He also pledged to raise living standards, protect services, and strengthen community fairness. The election has not been announced but is widely expected on 6 May.
The PM, who pledged to keep Alistair Darling as Chancellor if Labour wins, is addressing activists in Nottingham. Mr Brown also pledged to raise living standards, protect frontline services, strengthen community fairness and build a hi-tech economy.
Opposition parties say the pledges are meaningless after years of "failures".Opposition parties say the pledges are meaningless after years of "failures".
The Conservatives said Mr Brown was not being honest about the challenges the UK faced while the Liberal Democrats said pledges would not make people forget Labour's shortcomings. 'Force for fairness'
The pledges include improving family living standards, protecting the hi-tech economy to build a million more skilled jobs, and protecting frontline investment in policing, schools, childcare and the NHS. The prime minister, who earlier told the Guardian he would keep Alistair Darling as Chancellor if Labour wins, addressed activists in Nottingham.
There are also proposed controls on immigration and guarantees around the issue of apprenticeships. In a dig at the Conservatives, he thanked the opposition party for spending "£1m" on election posters which he said had boosted the country's economy and Labour's cause.
He said the Tories represented "not more statesmanship but more salesmanship" while Labour was a "force for fairness".
Labour has defended the pledges against criticisms of "vagueness"
He said he knew people were sceptical about politicians' pledges but said these were "not general pledges without details, without tests, without scrutiny".
He promised new ways of measuring progress against the pledges online, and said cabinet ministers would have to sign up to contracts outlining what they were expected to deliver.
Mr Brown told activists: "We will put the British people first, before personal interests, before our party interests, before any vested interests.
"We are the people's party and we are pledged to serve the people."
Civil injunctionCivil injunction
Speaking less than six weeks before the widely-predicted 6 May general election date, Mr Brown told the Guardian victims of anti-social behaviour would be allowed to use public funds from their local authority to take out civil injunctions, if police were too slow to act. Earlier Mr Brown told the Guardian victims of anti-social behaviour would be allowed to use public funds from their local authority to take out civil injunctions, if police were too slow to act.
"People have got to know if they have a real complaint they will get a fast response," he said."People have got to know if they have a real complaint they will get a fast response," he said.
"And ultimately if they feel they have not been given satisfaction, they will be able to take a civil injunction themselves and that will be paid for by the authority." He also said NHS patients would be able to visit another health authority or the private sector if they were not offered treatment within 18 weeks and cancer tests within a week.
Mr Brown also said NHS patients would be able to visit another health authority or the private sector if they were not offered treatment within 18 weeks and cancer tests within a week.
We don't have honesty about the scale of the challenge that the country faces now Michael Gove MPConservativeWe don't have honesty about the scale of the challenge that the country faces now Michael Gove MPConservative
And he called on world wide web inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, to try to measure the progress of government policies online.
Conservative frontbencher Michael Gove, who is also the party's election campaign strategist, said Mr Brown was asking for "five more years" in power but the key was to look back at the government's record.Conservative frontbencher Michael Gove, who is also the party's election campaign strategist, said Mr Brown was asking for "five more years" in power but the key was to look back at the government's record.
He said Mr Brown had "pledged there would be no more 'boom and bust' but he took us into the biggest recession, the deepest recession that we've had since the 1930s".He said Mr Brown had "pledged there would be no more 'boom and bust' but he took us into the biggest recession, the deepest recession that we've had since the 1930s".
"Now he's campaigning on his economic credentials but they've been tarnished."Now he's campaigning on his economic credentials but they've been tarnished.
"We've never had a proper apology or acknowledgement and we don't have honesty about the scale of the challenge that the country faces now.""We've never had a proper apology or acknowledgement and we don't have honesty about the scale of the challenge that the country faces now."
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said: "Any number of pledges won't make people forget 13 years of Labour failure."Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg said: "Any number of pledges won't make people forget 13 years of Labour failure."
Labour has defended the pledges against criticisms of "vagueness"
But Douglas Alexander, the secretary of state for international development and Labour's general election co-ordinator denied they were vague and said they were the government's priorities for future years.
He told the BBC they came out of the sense that "the central questions that people are asking about this election are how is Britain going to pay its way in the world and how are we going to earn our living?"
'Difficult decisions'
Discussing the pledge to strengthen fairness in communities through an Australian-style points-based system, he said the government understood that people were concerned about immigration but said it was not going to indulge in "scaremongering".
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband refused to rule out cuts in hospital budgets and elsewhere but said that any savings would be the result of the government "facing up to the difficult decisions that we have to make".Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband refused to rule out cuts in hospital budgets and elsewhere but said that any savings would be the result of the government "facing up to the difficult decisions that we have to make".
BBC political correspondent, Reeta Chakrabarti, said Mr Brown was less clear about widely-predicted future cuts.BBC political correspondent, Reeta Chakrabarti, said Mr Brown was less clear about widely-predicted future cuts.
Later on Saturday, Mr Brown is due to attend Labour's Scottish spring conference in Glasgow.Later on Saturday, Mr Brown is due to attend Labour's Scottish spring conference in Glasgow.