Brown says UK to maintain triple credit rating

The Conservatives had a lead of more than 10 points in opinion polls for many months, but the gap has closed and there is now the prospect of an inconclusive election in which neither of the two main parties wins an outright majority -- an unusual occurrence under the British electoral system.

To show he was serious on tackling the deficit, Brown announced a wage freeze for the highest paid in the public sector.

"We will ... freeze the pay for senior staff in the civil service, senior staff in the military, the judiciary, senior managers in the health service and the pay of consultants, GPs (family doctors) and dentists," he said.

"These measures along with the new controls on senior pay which I announced in December will save money immediately and by 2013/14 save more than three billion pounds."

Brown's character has become a focus in campaigning ahead of the election, with the prime minister forced to deny accusations that he intimidated staff.

Brown sought to turn the debate to his advantage, stressing

he had the determination to push his policies through.

"When I say that policy and character go together, it's whether you have a clear idea of what you want to do, whether you're determined to push that through, and whether you're sufficiently impatient and strong-willed to push aside the barriers that stand in your way," Brown said.

(Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon; edited by Ralph Boulton)