PM to push G7 over financial reform

Talks will be held ahead of International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings as the economy struggles with the credit crunch and other economic pressures.

Mr Brown told a meeting in Belfast he wanted to see better co-ordination between financial regulators and improved early warnings for global investors.

"To build more momentum for these reforms, the Government is sending senior representatives to visit all G7 countries in advance of the IMF meetings," he said.

Mr Brown will be in New York next week to meet world leaders and press for reforms the UK has been proposing to the global financial "architecture".

He wants more transparency of institutions to reduce uncertainty in the markets and a stronger role for the IMF.

"We will continue to do whatever is necessary to keep our economy moving forward and to maintain the integrity of our financial institutions," he added.

The under-pressure Labour leader said his government worked with Saudi Arabia this summer to focus urgent world attention on problems in the oil markets.

Prices reached record levels, although they have fallen by more than a third since then.

The economy is also struggling with the impact of the credit crunch on banking in the UK and abroad, with a series of high-profile victims in the US.