Clinton: Brown has a good heart

Tuesday, 5 August 2008 5:26 PM

Former American president Bill Clinton has come out in support of embattled prime minister Gordon Brown, saying he has "a good heart".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 while attending an international AIDs conference in Mexico, Mr Clinton said: "I wouldn't predict Gordon's demise too quickly. I think he is just in a period where circumstances have got the British people appropriately concerned about how to get from day to day, week to week.

"I think anybody would find it difficult to maintain a very high level of popularity when average people are having the problems they are having today in the UK and the US with the soaring price of gasoline and the cost of living going up."

Mr Clinton, who won two elections as a Democrat in the United States, said Mr Brown needed to apply his talents to the problems at hand.

"The only advice I would give him is that he has got a big brain and a good heart - he just needs to apply them both to working through these issues as best he can and trust the politics," Mr Clinton continued.

It's not the first vote of confidence Mr Brown received today. Chancellor Alistair Darling said he believed Mr Brown could "turn things round" in time for the next general election.

Mr Darling replaced Harriet Harman as Mr Brown's deputy while he is on holiday yesterday.

"I think we can get through this," he said, referring to Labour's current infighting and instability.

"The prime minister, when he comes back from his holidays, will set out very clearly what he intends to do, but I am very clear in my mind that provided we can get across to people what we're for, the difference that the government can make, the clear principles of fairness that govern everything we can do, then we can turn this situation around," he added.

"I'm optimistic we can turn things round and we can win."

Mr Darling also poured cold water on suggestions he was about to impose a windfall tax on energy companies, saying there were problems with the idea in practice and in principle.

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• foreign policy
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• labour
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• north america
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• party politics