GORDON Brown has said his Government is doing everything it can to ensure that Nottingham's second tram line is built.

The Prime Minister said he was committed to bringing the project to life – but warned voters if they elected a Conservative county council at local elections the scheme would be lost.

Mr Brown made the comments while travelling to Notts and Derbyshire to launch Labour's local and European election campaigns.

He said: "I understand the Tories are saying if they win Notts County Council they will scrap the extension.

"We are totally committed to the extension – £31m has already been spent."

It was last week that the Notts Conservatives pledged to withdraw the county council's £53m portion of funding from NET Phase 2 if they take the local authority on June 4.

Instead the county council's Tory leader Kay Cutts said her party would invest money in better bus services.

The Tories have made it clear that Notts and Derbyshire are both councils in which they feel they can make big gains at the election – possibly even win them outright.

Asked how safe he thought the county council was for Labour, Mr Brown said: "I never speculate about these things. What I say is every Labour voter should come out to show that to give real help to people now, whether it's for personal benefit or for others, we have the right policies.

"The important thing is to put down policies and show what you would do."

The Prime Minister was accompanied by several key members of the cabinet including Chancellor Alistair Darling, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Pensions Secretary James Purnell and Education Secretary Ed Balls.

The group travelled to Beeston by train and from there to Kirk Hallam School in Ilkeston where Mr Brown officially launched their campaign.

He told party members at a meeting that the system through which MPs claimed expenses was "antiquated" and needed to be changed.

He pledged that Labour MPs who had broken rules regarding expenses would be dealt with.

Meanwhile, a Downing Street spokesman said after the meeting Notts MP Geoff Hoon would not be required to repay capital gains tax to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

The member for Ashfield sold a London property that had at one point been listed as his "second home" – the Daily Telegraph reported that Mr Hoon made £300,000 of profit.