Britain's economic downturn is likely to be deeper and last longer than expected and could be the worst for 60 years, REUTERS quoted finance minister Alistair Darling as saying on Saturday. In a candid interview with the Guardian newspaper, the Chancellor of the Exchequer said the Labour government had failed to get its message across and would battle to persuade a sceptical electorate it deserved another term in power. His comments suggest concern in the highest ranks of the government that the downturn will make it difficult for Prime Minister Gordon Brown to recover popularity and fend off a resurgent opposition Conservative Party. The government and Brown himself have seen their opinion poll ratings plummet in the last six months and the government is now languishing 21 points behind the Conservatives. A national election must be held by mid-2010 at the latest. The Guardian quoted Darling as saying economic times for the country were "arguably the worst they've been in 60 years". "I think it's going to be more profound and long-lasting than people thought, he said." "We've got our work cut out. This coming 12 months will be the most difficult 12 months the Labour Party has had in a generation, quite frankly. "We've got to rediscover the zeal which won three elections, and that is a huge problem for us at the moment. People are pissed off with us," Darling said."
