( AFP ) - Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling sought Sunday to bolster the government's economic credentials after a bank crisis, amid persistent talk of an imminent election.
He was the first big hitter to address day one of the ruling Labour party's annual five-day convention in Bournemouth, although the event highlight will be Prime Minister Gordon Brown's first speech to the conference as leader Monday.
But gossip in the seaside resort's bars and hotels centred on whether Brown would use the conference to call or even hint at a snap general election, with many newspapers naming October 25 as a likely date.
The prime minister did nothing to silence the whispers in a BBC television interview Sunday by refusing to rule out naming a date this week, but he also stressed that he was focused on simply "getting on with the job".
Many commentators suggested he was unlikely to call a poll while the recent Northern Rock bank crisis -- which saw thousands queuing outside banks to pull money out of the troubled lender -- was fresh in voters' minds.
Several recent opinion polls suggested that the affair earlier this month, triggered by the global credit crunch linked to problems in the US subprime mortgage market, had not damaged support for Brown and his governing party.
Nevertheless, Darling was at pains to reassure the public, saying Britain was "one of the strongest economies in the world" despite the turbulence, which sent stock markets into a temporary nosedive.
He admitted that the affair, which saw Northern Rock apply for emergency funds from the central Bank of England, had been "difficult" but said he wanted to tighten protection for savers and ensure their money was guaranteed.
Darling also called for "effective supervision for banks" and "effective regulation" in international markets.
"There are lessons to be learnt -- and I will make the changes we need to ensure stability," he said.
David Cameron, the leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, has blamed Brown for the crisis, saying he encouraged personal and public debt in his 10 years as finance minister.
Brown earlier rejected claims the government had failed to respond quickly enough to the Northern Rock affair.
He also defended Bank of England governor Mervyn King, who critics say was not swift enough in addressing Northern Rock's problems and reversed his initial decision not to pump billions into the money markets.
Brown told BBC television that the Bank of England had an "unparalleled" record and King had been a "brilliant governor" who was staying in the job.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary David Miliband reflected a renewed confidence in Labour ranks, stoking rumours of an early election, by telling The Observer newspaper that they were thinking about the next 10 years in government.
But Education Secretary Ed Balls, seen as Brown's right-hand man, damped down the speculation. He warned voters would be sceptical if they thought Labour was trying to capitalise on an early Brown "bounce" in opinion polls.
He also told BBC radio that it was "really important" for the party to set out its policy programme "this week and then in the coming months".
Brown does not have to call a general election until May 2010 at the latest, but many insiders believe he will do so earlier to try to secure his own clear mandate from the British people.
The serious-minded former chancellor of the exchequer took over from Tony Blair as prime minister and Labour leader in June, without either a general election or internal party vote.
Previous conferences have been dominated by bitter infighting between the two rivals' camps which spilled over last year when Blair's wife Cherie was reportedly caught accusing Brown of lying during his speech.
But this year the focus is firmly on Brown -- Blair is in New York carrying out duties in his new role as a Middle East peace envoy.
The new spirit of unity was underlined Sunday night when Peter Mandelson, the European Union trade commissioner and former British Cabinet minister, seen as a Brown foe, said he was "very proud" of the way Brown had managed the handover of power.