Brown seeks global action on economy

Europe and the United States must work together to tackle major problems such as the economic slowdown and climate change, Gordon Brown has said.

On the final day of his visit to America, the prime minister delivered a speech calling for American leadership on major political, economic and environmental challenges.

Ahead of the speech he called for "co-ordinated activity" on rising food and oil prices.

"My concern every day is what's happening for the person looking for their first home, what's happening to the mortgage payer... that's why I'm in politics," he told GMTV.

"We've got a problem at the moment with the economy. We've got to explain to people what's been happening."

And in his speech in Boston, Brown renewed his calls for reform of major international institutions such as the United Nations.

The UN must take a bigger lead in conflict prevention, the prime minister believes.

And he argued that the International Monetary Fund should develop an 'early warning system' to warn of major economic risks.