Investment in technology is necessary to get the UK through the
downturn, according to the prime minister
Gordon Brown.
The premier said investment in the UK's digital infrastructure
will be a key part of getting the country through the
imminent
recession.
"Just as many years ago investment in road and rail
infrastructure was a powerful stimulus to the economies then, so
too in this new age we can invest in the digital infrastructure for
the future, in telecommunications, in environmentally-related
industries and in new environmental technologies," said Brown.
He said the investment would "build the technical and
environmental infrastructure of the 21st century" as the UK
"invests out of the downturn".
"A digital, low carbon, environmentally friendly Europe, highly
skilled to face the challenges of the world, is the vision we have
to put forward," Brown added.
Brown was speaking after Downing Street talks on Monday with
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Jose Manuel Barroso, head of
the European Commission.
Representatives of companies including Vodafone, Tesco, British
Telecom, the National Grid, Corus, Prudential and Diageo also took
part in the meetings.