Darling vows to get Britons through storm

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After a week that started with the demise of one of the world's biggest investment banks and ended with the U.S. government proposing a $700 billion (380 billion pounds) bank bailout, Darling said the government was ready to support the economy.

"What I'm determined to do is to make sure that after 10 years of an economy growing pretty strongly that we get through this difficult time," he said in a television interview.

"Despite the fact we really are facing very difficult conditions, I'm confident we will get through it," he said before he was due to address the ruling Labour Party's annual conference at 11 a.m.

Inflation and unemployment are soaring, the housing market is tumbling and the economy is on the brink of recession. Most opinion polls show Prime Minister Gordon Brown faced a humiliating defeat at the next election, due by mid-2010.

Brown admitted on Sunday he could do better but dismissed calls for his resignation from within his party that have cast a shadow over this week's conference.

"What I would say to my colleagues is for goodness sake, just concentrate on the job at hand," Darling said. "Gordon Brown, I believe, is the best person to lead this country. He will continue to do so."

BANKS AND RISK

Darling said there were signs that inflation, which is running at more twice the central bank's target, would come down as oil prices have fallen and the key thing was to get the banking system back on its feet.

This was why the government last week helped to broker a deal to save the country's biggest mortgage lender, HBOS. But he gave no indication that Britain would buy up toxic loans in a U.S.-style state-funded bailout.

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