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Under-fire prime minister Gordon Brown today told the Labour Conference that taking the country through the current market turmoil was his "unwavering focus" in a speech generously received by delegates.

After an unexpected introduction by wife Sarah, which sought to counter Brown's critics within the party with a video record of his achievements in government, Brown said: "In truth, we haven't seen anything this big since the industrial revolution."

"This last week will be studied by our children – as the week the world was spun on its axis – and old certainties were turned on their heads. And in these uncertain times, we must be, we will be, the rock of stability and fairness upon which people stand."

Saying that he would provide the country with a "new settlement", Brown pledged that he would do "all it takes" to stabilise the financial markets, saying he and chancellor Alistair Darling would meet financial and government leaders in New York to rebuild the world financial system around clear principles, including the transparency of transactions.

This last week will be studied by our children – as the week the world was spun on its axis – and old certainties were turned on their heads.

Gordon Brown

Underlining that the current challenges didn't begin in the last week or last months, Brown also drew attention to the pressure of a rising global population "demanding more energy," and pointed to the importance of "new nuclear power, unprecedented increase in renewables and investment in clean coal."

He said: "I am asking the climate change committee to report by Ocober on the case for, by 2050 not a 60% reduction in our carbon emissions but an 80% cut – and I want British companies and British workers to seize the opportunity and lead the world in the transformation to a low carbon economy and I believe that we can create in modern green manufacturing and service one million new jobs."

In a positive move for the industry, he also stressed the government's commitment to spending on the ºÚ¶´ÉçÇø Schools for the Future programme and the roll out of more Sure Start centre, transport links and hospitals.

However, in a perhaps ominous reference to the £1m donation from author JK Rowling, he said: "When you come to public spending you can't just wave a magic wand to conjure up the money – not even with help from Harry Potter."