Speculation intensifies on future of Gordon Brown
British prime minister Gordon Brown today brushed off speculation that he could be forced out of his job before the end of the year.
During a round of broadcast interviews in Beijing, where he is attending the final days of the Olympic Games, Mr Brown insisted that he was focused on steering Britain through the current economic downturn.
Pressed by Sky News if he was confident that he would still be in a job by Christmas, he replied: "Of course."
He added: "I am totally focused on only one thing and that is taking this country through these difficult economic circumstances.
"We have got to get on with the job. People want us to get on with the job. Getting on with the job is the most important thing at the moment."
His comments follow a turbulent summer in which speculation about his prospects of retaining the leadership have intensified since the loss of the Glasgow East by-election.
Mr Brown dismissed suggestions that an article in The Guardian last month by foreign secretary David Miliband setting out his vision for reviving Labour's fortunes marked the start of a leadership bid.
"There is nothing wrong with the article. The article is fine. The publicity surrounding it is another thing," he said.
Brown repeatedly refused to say whether Britain was facing a recession but he insisted that the economy was in good shape to survive the global downturn.
"I think that you will find that the British economy is resilient," he told the BBC.
"We have got to take people through these difficult economic times. We have done it before and we will do it again."
He acknowledged that rising food and fuel prices were affecting the British government's popularity.
"You cannot expect people to be cheering in the streets if you have oil prices rising and food prices rising," he said.
He said that ministers were working on measures to alleviate the problems that people were facing as a result.
"I will continue to do what is right for this country and that is taking the right decisions for the economy for the next few months."
