DAVID Miliband pledged his backing for Gordon Brown today – but also suggested the Prime Minister had failed to perform up to now.
The Foreign Secretary said Mr Brown was displaying "more vigour and determination" than before, and would "prove people wrong" by winning the next general election.
"I think Gordon is leading us with more vigour and determination and will prove pe
ople wrong," he said.
"I am absolutely convinced that Gordon can lead us to victory. He has enormous values, drive and vision and I think we are going to prove people wrong."
Despite the overt support, the comments may cause some dismay in Downing Street, after Mr Miliband was at the centre of fevered speculation over a leadership challenge last month.
They came as the Cabinet met away from London or the Prime Minister's official country residence, Chequers, for the first time in nearly a century.
Mr Brown has issued a rallying cry to ministers, insisting he would draw on personal trials such as losing his eye in guiding the country through the current economic turmoil.
Speaking ahead of the session in Birmingham's International Convention Centre, Mr Brown said Britain was living through a period of "astonishing change".
But, striking an upbeat note with representatives of business, charities and the public sector from the West Midlands, he went on to say that the UK could benefit over the next 20 years despite the credit crunch, climate change and an ageing population.
"We can do well indeed, but we have got to work out together how we can make our way in what is a new world of new change that is hitting all of us," he said.
Before the formal Cabinet meeting this afternoon, which will focus on the economy, Mr Brown and his senior ministers took part in round-table discussions with about 200 people at the ICC.
Every member of the Cabinet has also carried out visits in the West Midlands, themed around issues including community policing, manufacturing, health, jobs and skills.
Downing Street confirmed that the event was being treated as Government business, meaning the bill is being footed by the taxpayer rather than the Labour Party. The "majority" of ministers travelled by public transport, and a minimal number of officials accompanied them, a spokesman for the PM said. It is understood ministers have been asked to leave special advisers behind where possible.
The Cabinet Office said the total costs of the exercise were not yet known.
Earlier, Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband denied that the meeting in Birmingham amounted to a "cheap gimmick".
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I don't see this as a cheap gimmick. If you say to me 'Is this going to win us any votes?', I don't particularly think it will.
"I just think it is the right thing to do. It is important for Government not simply to spend all its time in London."
Other cities should have the chance to be "celebrated" by the Cabinet going to visit, he added.
Asked about Mr Brown's authority, Mr Miliband said: "He is a very determined person and he has been through personal adversity but he has also faced political adversity ... and he will come through them, squaring up to hard truths, being open with the British people about the choices we face, and making tough decisions."
In a foreword to the programme for Labour's conference in Manchester later this month, Mr Brown called for "a new deal for this new world" based on the fundamental principle of fairness.
He said he had responded to personal challenges by "confronting them, resolute in the belief that there would always be something that could be done to overcome them".
The full article contains 626 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
