LONDON - Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday the upcoming budget will contain environmental measures to aid recovery from recession, including creating thousands of green jobs.

He told the Independent that Chancellor Alistair Darling would unveil the plans in the budget on April 22. Part of the budget will involve boosting the use of electric cars in a network of charging points in pilot cities.

He also indicated there would be little room for a further economic stimulus from tax breaks.

It is not just what we do to give real help to people and business now, but about setting a path for the future as well, he said.

The Bank of England and some experts say Brown has little room for further large scale action to boost the economy after spending billions propping up banks and cutting value-added tax.

Brown has championed investment in green projects to fuel an economic recovery, and last month published a low carbon industrial strategy he said would create 400,000 environmental sector jobs over the next eight years.

He told the paper Britain could increase its output of green goods and services by 50 percent to 1.5 billion pounds over the next few years.

This is a major part of our plan for recovery in the budget, he said.

A different type of economy will emerge in the recovery if we are prepared to invest in the future, he said.

He predicted the measures would be popular with voters, who opinion polls show would vote his Labour government out of office if an election were held now. An election must be held by mid 2010 at the latest.

This is a job creator, a quality of life improver and an environment-enhancing measure, he said.

We want to harness a desire among people to be part of this. A better Britain means building a greener Britain.

United kingdom Alistair Darling