London - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown earned howls of laughter from the opposition benches for a slip of the tongue Wednesday in which he appeared to claim to have "saved the world" from economic disaster.

During a series of fiery exchanges at Prime Minister's Question Time, Brown quipped: "We not only saved the world, er, saved the banks and led the world. .." - but his attempts at correcting his verbal faux-pas were drowned out by laughter.

Opposition leader David Cameron joked: "Well, it's now on the record. He is so busy talking about saving the world, he has forgotten about the businesses of this country."

The gaffe, which proved an instant internet hit, came as Brown was preparing to travel to a European Union (EU) summit in Brussels where he is expected to press for fresh fiscal measures to stimulate the global economy. (dpa)