Brown claims his 'sufficiently impatient and strong-willed' character helped Britain avoid a worse recession

Daily Mail
# Brown tries to turn bullying row to his advantage
# He implies Cameron is too lightweight to be PM
# Defends Labour's lack of savage spending cuts
# May 6 election very likely after Budget on March 24
# Shock 0.9 per cent fall in manufacturing output

"Critics condemned the speech as more 'waffle' and questioned how Mr Brown could set himself up as the saviour of the economy after proclaiming he had abolished boom and bust while Chancellor only to preside over the worst bust since the 1930s.The Prime Minister has been forced to change tack in his election campaign due to a slew of bleak economic data that means he cannot hail the UK's return to growth.Yesterday figures showed exports suffered their sharpest monthly fall since 2006, the Pound fell below $1.50 and there were warnings Britain's credit rating is under threat.And today, there was yet more bad news as official figures revealed a shock 0.9 per cent drop in manufacturing output in January - the biggest fall since last August.This compares to a 0.9 per cent rise in December, which helped the economy grow slightly in the fourth quarter, and will fuel fears of a double dip recession."