Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised Bristol's regeneration and its manufacturing traditions when he made a keynote speech in the city.

Mr Brown set out his vision for the country's future on stage at Filton College's WISE Academy in New Road, Stoke Gifford on Saturday.

He was addressing members of Labour's National Policy Forum as part of his morning visit to North Bristol.

Cabinet ministers were out in force for the speech, with Business Secretary Peter Mandelson, deputy leader Harriet Harman and Minister of State in the Department of Health Ben Bradshaw all in the audience.

The Prime Minister said: "I want to say what a pleasure it is to be in Bristol.

"I want to congratulate this city on its great manufacturing traditions and the regeneration of the last 10 years."

Mr Brown praised Bristol's Labour MPs Kerry McCarthy, Dawn Primarolo, Doug Naysmith Roger Berry and Euro MEP Glyn Ford.

He also endorsed Paul Smith, parliamentary candidate for Bristol West, saying he would be the seats next member of Parliament come the general election.

In a half hour speech, Mr Brown addressed a wide range of issues, from the global economic crisis to proposed part privatisation of Royal Mail as well as a low carbon future, and providing broadband for every home in the UK.

Mr Brown set out his ambition for the UK and the US to work more closely ahead of a his visit to meet new president Barack Obama in Washington next week.

And he had strong words for former bank chiefs, stating a "clean-up and clean-out" of the banking system was essential.

The Prime Minister said: "Some of the practices now being discovered in our banks are not only unacceptable, they are indefensible and they have got to be cleaned up now.

"Many of the bank executives who got banks into this mess have now left their jobs; the boards of failed banks have gone; the four most senior executives of HBOS and RBS have all now left their jobs; seven non-executive directors of RBS lost their jobs; the HBOS board has ceased to exist.

"And we are exploring all the legal action necessary to recover pension payments from people who received too much."

Speaking to The Post before the speech, Mr Brown renewed his appeal to Sir Fred Goodwin, the former boss of RBS, to give up at least some of the £693,000 pension he is being paid at the age of 50, despite being widely blamed for leading the bank to disaster.

During a visit to the Greenway Community Practice GP surgery in Southmead, he said: "I hope that even now Sir Fred will realise that when you record the biggest losses of any company in British history, there should be some recognition of that in the pension fund."

Mr Browns praise for Bristol was echoed by Minister for the South West Mr Bradshaw, who spoke to The Post after the speech.

He said: "We are holding this conference a couple of miles from Rolls Royce, who have just recorded record profits.

"It is a symbol for success of the economy of the Bristol area.

"There are still successful businesses, keeping people employed so they can benefit from the upturn when it happens, which it inevitably will."