LONDON: Gordon Brown on Sunday issues a powerful declaration that 2008 will decide the fate of his premiership as he pledges to push through a series of controversial decisions that will shape Britain for decades to come.

In his first major interview of the year, the Prime Minister serves notice on his opponents that he is planning a fightback which will see him taking unpopular decisions on nuclear power, airport expansion and house building.

Brown delivers a strong warning that voters will face tough economic conditions this year as the US credit crunch spreads across the Atlantic. ‘This is a difficult and dangerous situation for the world economy,’ he says.

The Prime Minister tells of his plans for the new year in an interview following a rare holiday at his Scottish home with his young family over Christmas.

Brown makes clear that he aims to rekindle the spirit of his first few months in office, when he won praise for his decisive responses to attempted terror attacks and flooding.

‘The only way Britain can be great in the future is by people who are prepared through thick and thin, and through bad times and good times, to take what are difficult long-term decisions, even if at times it may be easier to do simpler or less difficult things,’ he said.

The controversial decisions highlighted by Brown include:

—strong indication that the government will give the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations, possibly as early as Tuesday when John Hutton, the Business Secretary, addresses MPs;

—a warning that conservationists can expect a battle as Brown ploughs on with contentious planning changes to meet his target of building three million houses;

—a declaration that major infrastructure projects will be given the green light despite environmental objections.

“We have legislation coming through on Crossrail (a new railway link for London), on (expanding) Heathrow (airport), on big infrastructure decisions which if the country doesn’t make now then we will either be congested or be unable to cope with some of the problems in the years to come,” he said.

The Prime Minister warns of a difficult economic period, as the US credit crunch crosses the Atlantic, though he believes Britain is well placed to withstand the pressures. “We enter this very difficult period with Britain better positioned because we’ve got low inflation, because we’ve got a record of stability, because employment is higher than ever it has been in our history,” he said.—Dawn/Observer News Service