Labour 'can win' despite rising prices

The energy minister has conceded that the rising cost of living is hurting Labour but said Gordon Brown is the man to steer the party to general election victory.

In an interview with ePolitix.com Malcolm Wicks said that the electorate feeling the economic pinch was minded to "take it out" on the government but it could be turned around.

Wicks said: "We have got a difficult situation at the moment and I talk to my constituents about these things every week. There are worries about the housing market, the rising costs of certain food stuffs and certainly energy costs are making people feel insecure.

"As often happens with elections in those circumstances people take it out on the government of the day and I don't think we can quarrel with that.

"We are listening hard to that and I do feel myself that Gordon Brown is the man for the job - he has the most experience as an economic manager in this country, he's a serious person."

Wicks insisted the party could salvage the next election despite a series of disastrous election results and polls.

He said: "As for going forward where are we? David Cameron and the Conservatives are the frontrunners, they are the favourites to win the next general election, we are way behind at the moment.

"But after the local elections and certainly after Crewe and Nantwich I felt strangely energised by the results because I felt 'ok the phoney war is over now and it is over for David Cameron.' You cannot get away, for the next two years, with going into the Today programme, coming up with a few glib ideas and not being challenged.

"People in the approach to the next general election in a year, 18 months, two years whenever it is are going to be asking us the Labour government and the Conservative Party and the others serious questions about serious issues so I think the phoney war in British politics is over and we are into an era of realpolitik and that has to be good for democracy."