01/12/2008 - Credit-crisis company short-list
A short-list of the type of company the Government would give priority assistance to as the recession bites is being drawn up with the help of Business Secretary Lord Mandelson.
He has told The Guardian newspaper that British industry is looking for a more activist approach from Labour, and its response would be "key test of the party".
The Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) has said: "This comment was not about drawing up a list of which firms to save.
"But the Government needs to draw up criteria to help decide where to focus government attention to help industry and the economy overall to survive and pull through the recession."
Lord Mandelson said that it is too early to predict the length and depth of the recession, and that companies "don't want us to pick winners, but they do want a route map".
Meanwhile, in the wide-ranging interview, he said Prime Minister Gordon Brown's confidence had been boosted by international support for his handling of the crisis, suggesting he was seen as a "Moses figure" by other world leaders.
"He has been a first mover in reacting to the crisis and people have responded to him in a genuinely admiring way. He is only human - that does a lot for your self-confidence."
Copyright © Press Association 2008
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