PM defends record after lost data scandal

By Andrew Hough

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown defended his record on Friday after an opinion poll showed public confidence in the government's competence had slumped in the wake of the lost data discs scandal.

The Prime Minister hit back after a Populus poll for The Times showed the share of voters who trusted him and Chancellor Alistair Darling to handle the economy had fallen from 61 percent to just 28 percent since September.

It came after the government admitted computer discs containing details on 25 million people were lost in the post by the tax authority, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

The poll, taken on Wednesday night, showed almost three-quarters of voters believed the scandal of missing discs had hit their confidence in the government's ability to handle confidential data.

A further 64 per cent said it called in question "the basic competence of the government".

Brown defended his government's record, saying he had a good record dealing with crises such as floods, terrorism and foot and mouth.

Asked by reporters in Uganda, where he is attending a Commonwealth summit, if he was "rattled" by the polls, he replied: "I feel I'm getting on with the job.

"The test is how a government deals with some of these crises that you cannot avert, but you've got to deal with, and I believe people will look at what we've done," he said.