And there will be no short cuts or easy options adopted in the maintenance of fiscal prudence."His remarks were seen by Labour MPs as a declaration that he intends to play a pivotal role in drawing up Labour's manifesto, even though Mr Blair has installed Mr Milburn as the party's election and policy co-ordinator.Mr Brown wants to ensure that any new pledges can be afforded under the three-year public spending blueprint he set out last summer. The present railings, meant to keep walkers away from vehicles, will be removed.Aimed at creating "a more welcoming, generous, attractive and accessible environment for pedestrians", the work will begin next year and should be completed in 2009.Researchers in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany believe that strict regulation of road use discourages pedestrians and motorists from taking responsibility for their actions Common courtesy is abandoned, they argue. He is also wary of "gimmicks" such as Mr Blair's plan to cut child benefit for the parents of persistent truants, which was blocked after a cabinet revolt led by Mr Brown.MPs viewed his comments as a sign of the underlying tensions between the Prime Minister and Chancellor despite the truce they agreed last month after a book claimed that Mr Brown had told Mr Blair he would never trust him again because he reneged on a promise to stand down last year.The Blair camp kept up its demands for radical reform yesterday when John Reid, the Health Secretary, launched a pamphlet saying that modernisers should not allow themselves to be portrayed as "privatisers" because they backed "choice" in public services. Senior Tories said he was worried about being accused of being "soft on terrorism''.Mr Howard is being warned that he threatens to split the party if he supports the Bill. Leading Tory MPs think he made a mistake by supporting ID cards, which they believe robbed them of their natural battleground as a libertarian party.. Pedestrians are to be urged to take a stroll in the traffic as part of plans to transform the most "significant intellectual highway" in Britain. The area, known as 'Museum Alley', is home to the Natural History, Science and Victoria & Albert museums; Imperial College; the Royal College of Art; the Royal College of Music; the English National Ballet and the Royal Albert Hall.The project launched yesterday hopes to encourage careful driving and "decorous" behaviour by pedestrians.

There will be no relaxation of that discipline in our election manifesto Priorities will be rigorously selected and pursued. Gordon Brown declared yesterday that he would veto any expensive, headline-grabbing ideas from inclusion in Labour's general election manifesto. In a warning directed at Alan Milburn, who has supplanted him as the party's chief election strategist, the Chancellor said he would ensure that Labour maintained its fiscal discipline over the next few years.Allies of Mr Brown fear that Tony Blair and Mr Milburn will press for a new wave of public service reforms in the manifesto which are not properly costed or thought out.Addressing a Treasury conference on volunteering, Mr Brown insisted: "In the coming few years our public spending discipline will not waver We will meet and continue to meet our fiscal rules. "What I'm concerned about is we have another wave of immigration, then we get to the situation where these excellent community relations, which exist in Birmingham, can be undermined." He said skills shortages should be tackled by encouraging workers to retire later.. The constituency has been riven with political in-fighting and Mr Godsiff has yet to be reselected for the election expected in May.Last night he told The Independent that immigrants in previous decades had assimilated successfully despite the prejudice they faced. I have known Roger for a long time and I would not think that was a comment he would make."Mr Godsiff has been an MP since 1992 and held his inner-city seat with a 16,246 majority at the last election. Maybe he should think again about whether he wants to represent them." Barbara Roche, a former immigration minister, said: "Managed migration is a good thing for the country; it's good for us economically and it's good for us in cultural terms." Khalid Mahmood, MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said: "I find it shocking. Keith Vaz, the former Europe minister, said: "He is very lucky because he got elected only because of the Asian community.

Mr Godsiff's view caused astonishment because 65 per cent of his constituents in Birmingham Sparkbrook & Small Heath are from ethnic minorities.A Home Office source said: "He speaks for no one but himself." Labour MPs were horrified. Mr Howard's decision to place the issue at the heart of Tory policy was condemned as "desperate" and "irresponsible". His comments put him at odds with the Government, which has championed economic migration to address skill shortages, and provoked stinging criticism from other MPs and immigrant groups.Mr Godsiff goes further than last week's call by Michael Howard, the Tory leader, for an annual cap on immigration. But enough is enough."He said it was perverse for Britain to be "plundering" the developing world for talented workers who were needed for their home countries' development. I have to view it as a Member of Parliament representing a constituency which has already taken in a large number of first and second-generation immigrants who have assimilated and who have contributed a great deal to the development of the country. A Labour MP faced calls to resign last night after he demanded an end to foreign workers moving to Britain, warning that the influx would damage race relations. Roger Godsiff, who represents a multicultural community in the West Midlands, said voters were concerned about immigration but were often afraid to mention it for fear of being labelled racist.He told Radio 4's Westminster Hour: "I don't believe economic migration is any longer necessary and I also don't think it's going to be good for the future of race relations in this country.