Brown pledges to continue reforms

Mr Brown played down the prospect of lowering the voting age early

If he became prime minister, there would be no let up in public sector reform, Gordon Brown has suggested.

The chancellor - widely expected to step into Tony Blair's shoes - said education and health service reform would carry into the next parliament.

"Reform continues. This parliament, next parliament, the parliament after that," he told the BBC's Politics Show.

Conservative leader David Cameron has previously called Mr Brown a "roadblock to reform".

'Fully signed up'

Many Labour MPs had also hoped Mr Brown would abandon Mr Blair's commitment to greater private sector involvement in public services.

However, Mr Brown insisted that he was fully signed up to the government's reform programme.

"If you look at the reforms under this government - almost all the major economic and public sector reforms - the Treasury has either been directly leading these reforms or been intricately involved," he said.

The chancellor also hinted that he would be prepared to consider changing the way members of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee, which sets interest rates, were appointed.

Currently members are either chosen directly by the government or are appointed from within the bank.

You've got to be sure that it's not going to be hijacked by interest groups. It's got to actually reflect the public need for stable monetary policy Gordon Brown

But, Mr Brown suggested, there could be a role for the Commons Treasury Select Committee.

"The Monetary Policy Committee is scrutinised by the Treasury Select Committee. You could actually go further and that's something that obviously you could look at over time," he said.

"I think you'd have to satisfy yourself that you've got the balance right, between the public accountability that's necessary and the competence and efficiency in delivering an interest rate policy that's in the interests of the whole country.

"You've got to be sure that it's not going to be hijacked by interest groups. It's got to actually reflect the public need for stable monetary policy."

Mr Brown played down the prospects of any early move to lower the voting age from 18 to 16.

"I'm open to this, but I think you've got to look at it. Is citizenship education in the curriculum going to be good enough? Do we have community service programmes for young people so that citizenship actually means something as well as just having the vote?" he said.

"If we can do better in these areas, then I think you could make a decision about voting."