Brown: I'm no hero for role in rescue

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

At a press conference with the foreign media, Mr Brown was asked if he considered himself to be a superhero and if he was Flash Gordon, to which he replied: "Just Gordon, I can assure you."

The Prime Minister found himself being heaped with praise around the world for his banking rescue plan.

Even the French daily Le Monde joined in, describing it as "an English triumph" and hailing him as "the magician of Anglo Saxon social-liberalism".

But Mr Brown tried to douse the praise saying: "Politics, I have found, is about ups and downs." Ministers fear praise of the Mr Brown should not be allowed to get out of control in case the public react with anger when the "real economy" is affected by the downturn.

But David Cameron today claimed that Mr Brown had simply been following the Tories' lead in tackling the banking crisis. "I said at the beginning of our conference it may be necessary to do something very big and I had the idea of putting taxpayers' money into banks," he told BBC Radio 2's Jeremy Vine programme.

Mr Cameron rejected suggestions that Mr Brown's fortunes had recovered, citing his call for bonus cuts at last week's Prime Minister's Questions.

"What matters more than appearance is the substance. The substance is that I said: 'No bonuses for senior executives in banks getting taxpayers' money and a week later the Prime Minister did pretty much that."

The Conservative leader attacked Mr Brown for changing City regulation in 1997. "He took the Bank of England out of the scene of regulating the level of debt in the economy," Mr Cameron said. "And we are paying for it now."

Mr Brown also said at his press conference that he will outline plans tomorrow for new global financial rules.