By IRNA
London : Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought to recover the confidence of the ruling Labour Party Saturday by issuing a rallying call to activists to “work” for victory in May’s annual series of local elections.
In a speech to the party’s spring conference in Birmingham, central England, Brown insisted his government can deliver on the “dreams” voters have for their families.
His call comes as Labour is expected to lose further ground at May’s elections, when it will be contesting local polls for about 160 councils in England and all Welsh councils. London mayor Ken Livingstone is also seeking a third successive four-year term.
Brown’s speech is his first to party member since his decision last October not to hold an early general election to win his own mandate after replacing Tony Blair as prime minister.
Opinion polls since have shown declining support for Labour amid growing criticism of Brown as being indecisive and lacking vision since becoming leader.
Ahead of his speech, Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband acknowledged that the government had been through a difficult period but insisted that Labour could go on to win a fourth general election, which has to be held by 2010 at the latest.
“Undoubtedly we have had a difficult six months with some of the events that have happened,” the younger brother of the British foreign secretary said.
“But I think that in the end people judge prime ministers and governments on the big substantive issues, on whether they make the right long term decisions for the country,” he told the BBC radio.