Minister’s praise for PM’s rallying speech

7:10pm Tuesday 23rd September 2008

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SOUTH Dorset's Labour MP has praised Prime Minister Gordon Brown's defiant speech at the party conference in Manchester yesterday.

Schools minister Jim Knight said that the under-fire leader had done "everything that we needed him to do".

He told the Daily Echo minutes after the address: "It was a speech that set out the values that we're in government for and the values of the British people.

"It was one which talked not about party interests but the interests of the country."

There has been much talk of a challenge to Mr Brown's leadership, but Mr Knight said the feeling in Manchester was good.

He added: "To be fair I think the party has felt united here at conference. It's something that's come through from delegates throughout the country saying to parliamentarians that they have no desire to change our leader and that Gordon is the man for the job and he proved that today."

This year has seen two of the three major parties move away from the traditional seaside venues for their conferences. While the Lib Dems came to Bournemouth earlier this month, the Tories head for Birmingham next week.

Mr Knight said of Manchester: "It's obviously different from Bournemouth. It's a bigger city, we don't take over the city as much as it feels like when we're in Bournemouth.

"I miss that walk along the seafront and up the hill to the Highcliff Hotel with stunning views of my constituency, but for a change the Manchester weather has been pretty good to us."

He added that he hoped the party would be back in Bournemouth soon.

Mr Brown used his speech to talk about his party's duty to focus on challenges facing the country, rather than the party's internal disagreements.

He announced that from next year cancer sufferers and those with long-term illnesses would not pay for prescriptions and reiterated his plan to extend free nursery places to all two-year-olds.

The premier unveiled a £300 million plan to offer free computers and increase internet access for more than a million youngsters from low income families.

He also praised his government's crackdowns on benefit cheats and crime.