Gordon Brown vows to 'fight for future'

Gordon Brown has hit back at claims from chancellor Alistair Darling that the Labour party is not fighting hard enough by saying: 'I do not roll over'.

The prime minister vowed to 'fight for the future' on BBC One's Andrew Marr programme on Sunday as the Labour Party's annual conference began in Brighton.

In an interview during the weekend, Alistair Darling said the party had 'lost the will to live', comparing the party to a football team that gives up before the final whistle is blown.

Asked if this was true, Mr Brown said: 'Not at all,' adding: 'A setback can either be a challenge that means it's an opportunity to do something better or you roll over. I do not roll over.

'The setback for me is the challenge, the opportunity, to learn of course if you make mistakes and to do things better.'

Mr Brown also vowed to ban excessive bank bonuses, promising legislation soon.

'Enough is enough,' the prime minister said.

'Just as we will have a Fiscal Responsibility Act to deal with public finances, we will come back and we will have a new Business and Financial Services Act as well that will ban the old bonus systems and make it impossible for firms to go back to using them.'

He also denied rumours that his eyesight is deteriorating, a question that was brought up last week on US television.