Gordon Brown 'heartened' by speech response

May 4 2010 by The Journal

PRIME Minister Gordon Brown last night gave an impassioned speech calling for "justice, dignity, fairness" as the three party leaders took to the same stage for the last time before Thursday's general election.

Mr Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg each won warm applause as they set out their stalls in separate speeches to a rally of religious and community groups in Westminster, but did not debate directly or speak with one another.

The Prime Minister’s speech was briefly interrupted by a man running on to the stage with a banner reading “NuKiller Power No”, but Mr Brown was cheered as he forged on with his address after the protester was led away.

Visibly buoyed by his appearance before the Citizens UK assembly at Methodist Central Hall, a smiling Mr Brown told them: “You have given me heart today and you have inspired me by the way you are dealing with the important causes of our time.”

Earlier, Mr Cameron told the non-partisan meeting that a Conservative administration would work with civil society organisations to build what he calls “the Big Society”.

“Together we can change this country, and I can’t wait to get started,” he said.

And Mr Clegg told the assembly that this week’s election provided a “unique opportunity for us to do things differently and usher in a new politics which you once again can be proud of”. Mr Cameron told the audience of around 2,500 community organisers that they would be “in power” if the Tories win office on Thursday.

“You’ll be in power because the idea which drives you and that drives me – the idea of building a Big Society – will be marching down the corridors of Whitehall,” said the Conservative leader.

“So I want you to come with me and help change this country.”

Mr Clegg won applause for the Lib Dems’ proposal to regularise the position of illegal immigrants who have been in the country for a decade or more – a key demand of the Citizens UK manifesto.

The policy has been criticised by other parties as an amnesty which would attract more migrants. But Mr Clegg said the plight of those caught in the “chaos” of the immigration system needed to be dealt with on a one-off basis. “It’s a moral stain on our conscience and we will put an end to it once and for all,” he said. Mr Brown recalled his childhood as the son of a Church of Scotland minister and cited US President Barack Obama and anti-slavery campaigner William Wilberforce as he said: “Our shared belief is that wealth must serve more than the wealthy; that prosperity must serve more than the simply prosperous; that good fortune must help more than those who are just fortunate.”

Earlier, Mr Clegg accused Mr Cameron of taking Thursday’s result for granted after the Tory leader outlined a policy agenda for his first months in power and suggested he would be ready to lead a minority government.

“David Cameron, with breathtaking arrogance, is already measuring up the curtains for No 10 before you have even voted,” Mr Clegg told supporters.

Labour campaign chief Lord Mandelson denied that Mr Cameron was “waltzing into Downing Street”, insisting the election remained “a three-horse race”.