Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that Britain is over the worst of the economic slowdown, in an upbeat New Year's message months ahead of general elections.

But Brown, who polls forecast is set to lose power in an election due by June, warned that opposition Conservative leader David Cameron could wreck the recovery if he wins power.

"There are some who say we must plan for a decade of austerity and unfairness where the majority lose out while the privileged few protect themselves," he said.

But he insisted: "I am confident that, if we continue with the tough decisions we have made, unemployment will start to drop this year, and more small businesses will open and flourish.

"That wasn't inevitable; it was the change we chose. And so my message today is simple: don't wreck the recovery,” he added, in a clear reference to Labour charges that the Tories will slash spending mercilessly once in power.

Brown has struggled all year to convince British voters he is the right man for the top job — Labour has been lagging Cameron's Conservatives by double digits in most polls, although the gap has recently narrowed.