Britain's economy is strong and "pre-emptive" interest rate rises have helped thwart inflation and allowed growth to continue, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said on Monday. "Our economy is strong," Brown told Sky Television ahead of his keynote speech to the annual conference of Britain's ruling Labour Party in Brighton. "What people want is stability ... By pre-emptive action on interest rates, we prevent inflation in the economy, we allow the economy to continue to grow successfully," he said.|||