PM's Welsh economy 'health check'

Gordon Brown said he wanted to listen to concerns about the downturn

Prime Minister Gordon Brown will visit south Wales later as part of his three-day regional tour of the UK.

Mr Brown has been on a series of visits across the UK to see for himself the impact of the economic downturn.

He says he wants to hear what people say, explain to them what he is doing, and lay out his plans for the future.

Plaid Cymru claimed he should apologise for financial deregulation when he was chancellor and Conservatives said he could not solve the economic crisis.

During his tour Mr Brown has travelled mainly by train and stayed in local hotels, holding meetings during the day and evening.

When a prime minister does get to an area and gets to talk to people, he does get that sense of what attitudes are Lord Kinnock, former Labour leader

By contrast, his predecessor Tony Blair flew to areas of the UK for day trips, returning to Downing Street each night.

The tour will end in south Wales on Friday afternoon.

Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, who is from south Wales, said the visit would "enrich" Mr Brown's understanding of what is going on in the area.

"When a prime minister does get to an area and gets to talk to people, he does get that sense of what attitudes are in an area," Lord Kinnock told BBC Radio Wales.

"It's still better than sitting in that ivory tower in Downing Street."

Plaid finance spokesperson Chris Franks said: "I hope Brown has come to apologise for the economic problems he has created in Wales.

"New Labour and the Tories are joint architects of the deregulation that led to the credit crunch and economic hardship for many."

Conservative shadow Welsh secretary Cheryl Gillan said: "The prime minister's visit brings no comfort to the thousands of workers who have lost their jobs in Wales over recent months and the thousands more whose jobs are at risk in the months to come.

"If he thinks he will manage to persuade people he's the man to solve this economic crisis then I suspect he will be very disappointed."