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Gordon Brown has pledged to get Britain out of recession by the end of the year, after new figures showed the economy is still shrinking.

In a podcast released on the number 10 website and YouTube, the Prime Minister said the battle to stop the global downturn becoming a Great Depression was being won.

But he warned it would be "suicidal" to cut off the funding and investment that is helping people through "the most challenging times in a generation".

The Prime Minister said: "Although there are signs that confidence is beginning to return in some areas, we need to be cautious.

"Now, more than ever, is the time for steady and clear policies."

In a surprise announcement on Friday, it was revealed the economy shrank by 0.4% in the third quarter of 2009 and was officially in the longest recession since records began.

However, concluding his podcast, Mr Brown said: "My pledge to you is to make reform of the financial sector a reality and to see Britain's economy return to growth by the turn of the year."

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liam Byrne later told Sky News Sunday Live that the Government stood by its forecasts that the economy would begin growing again this year.

"At the Budget Alistair Darling said growth would return towards the end of this year. We are confident that will still be the case," he said.

Mr Brown's podcast, which managed to attract only 142 views in 24 hours on YouTube, was released on the 80th anniversary of the Wall Street Crash.

He compared the current situation with that of the 1930s, and said the current international cooperation was crucial in securing a recovery.

As well as vowing to press forward with a global action plan, the Prime Minister also promised to look at domestic issues.

He said he would stop lenders giving people home loans they "couldn't really afford" and would crack down on the "sharp practices" of credit card operators.

Bank bonuses would also come under scrutiny, he said, to prevent unfair payment to those within the banking system which was saved with the help of taxpayers' money.

"We must bring financial markets into closer alignment with the values that everybody holds: hard work, responsibility, integrity and fairness," he said.