Brown accuses media of wanting egg attack

Gordon Brown today accused the media of wanting someone to throw an egg at him on the campaign trail.

He claimed there was not the "public anger" there had been at the 2005 general election, as he suggested that was what journalists wanted to see.

The Prime Minister also insisted he was not finding people were angry about Afghanistan. The election issue was the economy, he said.

His remarks followed reports that he had torn up his election strategy to engage more with non-Labour supporters.

"I have always been out there meeting people, whether they are Labour supporters or not Labour supporters," he insisted today as he spoke to reporters on the train to Bournemouth.

"I have been trying to get around lots of different places, lots of different question and answer sessions with people from the public."

He added: "I think what you guys are looking for is someone to throw an egg at me or something and then say that there is some public anger.

"This is not like 2005, just let me tell you. This is not like 2005 when there was so much anger about Iraq.

"You are not going around the country finding people are angry about Iraq or Afghanistan, and you are going around the country talking to people about the issues."

The Prime Minister insisted that the May 6 poll would be determined by wider issues than the past two general elections.

"People will look back on this election and say that unlike 2001 and 2005 this was an election that was more than about the health service, more than about public spending, this was an election that was also about the economy, about the jobs and future prospects of the economy," he said.

"That's what they are going to look back and say."