LONDON, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair lauded the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown for delivering the "strongest economy of any major country."
The prime minister gave the commendation in responding to questions from members of Parliament at the House of Commons Wednesday.
He said under Brown's leadership, the country has seen the lowest interest rates for 30 years and the smallest unemployment in the same period.
"For the first time in years, the bottom 40 percent of the population have seen their incomes rise in percentage terms more than the top 20 percent," Blair said.
He attributed the combination of a strong economy and commitment to social justice prevalent in his administration as being responsible for his Labor Party winning three election terms.
"The single most important thing for us as a government is to keep our economy strong," the prime minister said.
On immigration, Blair urged the House of Commons to support his government's policies, as combining border protection along with the introduction of identity cards is the only way to not only track illegal immigrants, but deport them also.
