Brown hits out at right-wing 'hate'

Gordon Brown will condemn the 'hatred' right-wing parties
12 April 2012

Gordon Brown will hit out at right-wing parties around the world, warning that their "hatred" of government action could jeopardise the global economic recovery.

In a speech to the Progressive Governance Conference of international centre-left politicians in London, the Prime Minister will accuse the right of trying falsely to present itself as "mainstream and moderate".

He will also attack the "narrow nationalism" of the British Conservatives, saying they would leave the UK facing "isolation and irrelevance" in Europe, according to advance extracts released by Labour Party aides.

Friday's speech comes amid a bitter battle between Labour and the Tories over plans to tackle Britain's £178 billion deficit, with ministers warning that attempts to cut spending too quickly could undermine the fragile recovery.

"All over the world, the new tactic of the right is to present themselves as moderate and mainstream. But when the tough questions are asked of them, the truth is revealed," Mr Brown is expected to say.

"Instead of helping a recovery, their hatred of government action would risk the recovery. Instead of defending ordinary families, they would kick the ladder of opportunity away from ordinary families. Instead of supporting middle classes, their policies would hurt the middle classes."

Other leaders attending the conference include George Papandreou, the Prime Minister of crisis-stricken Greece, Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg.

Mr Brown will describe the centre-left as "the true internationalists" while underlining his own commitment to maintaining Britain's position in the European mainstream.

"The obsession of the British Conservative Party with narrow nationalism is totally out of tune with the modern world," he will say.

"So let me reassure you today: as long as I remain Prime Minister, Britain will stay firmly in Europe's mainstream, never in its backwaters, and we will resist the attempts of the Conservatives to pull Britain into isolation and irrelevance."

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