Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey has called on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to apologise for his role in the current economic crisis to boost his standing among the general public.

Lord Carey said that Brown needed to accept responsibility for the recession, but added that the Prime Minister would only “bounce back stronger” if he admitted his role in the current crisis.

The former Archbishop, writing in the News of the World, said, "I am puzzled and frankly saddened by Gordon Brown’s inability to acknowledge that he played a part in the awful events that brought about the current economic turmoil.

"All he needs to do is to say simply: ‘Yes, during my time as Chancellor I got it wrong. I apologise to the British people that, without knowing, I weakened the UK economy. I regret that I failed to take the steps that other leaders saw coming.’

"A church minister’s son, Gordon would know that ‘confession’ is but the prelude to the restoration of relationships with Almighty God; it works similarly in politics as it does in all walks of life."

Lord Carey described Brown as a "gifted man, possibly the most intellectually able prime minister for half a century or more".

"But none of us is perfect and all of us make mistakes. The sign of a confident, great man is the willingness to acknowledge failure," he added.

Lord Carey said that he was encouraged by the leader of the opposition, David Cameron, who last week accepted responsibility for failing to spot the weaknesses in the economy that lead to the financial crisis. He also pointed to US President Barack Obama - who admitted that he “screwed up” after appointing people to his leadership team who owed taxes - as a good example.