Britain's economic recovery depends on jobs and investment from a "vast expansion" of carbon-cutting technologies such as wind power and efficiency measures, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Mr Brown chaired a meeting of business leaders meant to rally ideas for what he called a new industrial strategy, to promote a green economy which he said would employ 1.3 million Britons by 2017, 400,000 more than now. "I don't think we will have the strength of recovery we need unless as a central part of that there is a low-carbon recovery," he said, referring to a needed economic boost.

"For climate change, energy price stability and energy security we need to act," he added, referring to longer benefits of diversifying away from fossil fuels.

Britain is in recession, unemployment has risen to two million and Mr Brown is under pressure to create jobs before an election which must be held by mid-2010. The Bank of England cut interest rates to a record low on Thursday.