LONDON - BRITISH Prime Minister Gordon Brown will draw on his personal experiences to deliver a rallying call to his beleaguered government on Monday, telling them to face up to tough times ahead.

The comments, to be circulated to ministers before a special meeting of the Cabinet outside London, are a taste of the Labour leader's planned fightback in a bid to end his party's dire poll ratings.

The remarks come from a document to be issued at the Labour's annual conference in a fortnight's time, which is being seen by many commentators as Mr Brown's main chance to relaunch his ailing premiership.

Mr Brown was to voice his confidence that Britain can emerge from the global credit crunch a 'stronger, more secure and fairer country'.

The Cabinet meeting in Birmingham, Britain's second city, in central England, is the first to be held outside London since the time of 1916-1922 prime minister David Lloyd George.

'This isn't simply about changing the scenery of the Cabinet, it is about the Cabinet as a whole spending time in the region, talking to local people, businesses and local organisations about the issues they face,' Mr Brown's Downing Street office said.

'The main item on the agenda for Cabinet will be the economy.' Mr Brown's written comments to his ministers acknowledge that Britain faces new economic, social and technological challenges due to ever-accelerating globalisation.

'Instead of repeating the solutions of yesterday, we must embrace the new policies of tomorrow and restate the case for our party and our values,' he has written.

'Meeting this challenge will not be easy and it will not happen overnight. There are no easy or quick answers. It requires leadership, squaring up to hard truths, being open with the British people about the choices we face, and making tough decisions on priorities for public spending.'

Mr Brown, who lost the sight in one eye while a teenager and whose premature baby daughter Jennifer died in 2002, drew on his personal battles to rally his troops.

'My own response to the great challenges in my own life has been to confront them, resolute in the belief that there would always be something that could be done to confront them,' the message read.

'And there always has been. Now, once more, I am confident that we can come through this difficult economic time and meet these challenges a stronger, more secure and fairer country than ever before.'

Meanwhile in Brighton on the southern English coast, the Trades Union Congress will get underway, where the traditional ties with Labour seem set to be tested.

On the eve of the conference, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber called on Sunday for tax cuts for lower incomed workers, and tax hikes for the rich.

Another senior trade unionist Derek Simpson, the joint leader of the largest union Unite, accused Mr Brown of behaving like 'a rabbit in the headlights' or a boxer scared to throw a punch.

But he rejected calls for a change of Labour leader and urged Mr Brown to reposition himself as a 'people's champion' in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper.

'Mr Brown has to address issues that concern people such as house prices, electric and gas prices, food prices, job security... it would make a difference in the perception people have of him.'

Mr George Osborne, finance spokesman for the main opposition Conservatives, said an outgoing Labour administration would impose a 'straightjacket' on the incoming Tories for years to come should they win the next general election, due by May 2010 at the latest.

He told The Guardian newspaper that the 'complete economic mess' left by Labour would 'cast a long shadow' over Britain - prompting the Conservatives to think 'very hard' about what they would do in government. -- AFP