THE PRIME Minister today called in on a York family to hear how they are faring in the recession.

Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah were paying a return visit to Chris and Sarah Charlton, and their little daughter Kairen, after the family went down to 10 Downing Street last November.

The couple told him how they had benefited in recent months from the big cut in bank base rates, but had long-term concerns about the security of their jobs at Aviva and the tourist organisation Welcome to Yorkshire.

The Prime Minister told them that the Government was taking a series of steps to protect employment and take Britain out of the recession.

But he also found time to chat and play in the garden with two-and-a-half year-old Kairen, remembering how she had played with a toy car when she came to Downing Street.

The visit was just the latest in a series of extraordinary encounters with top politicians for the couple, from the Leeman Road area. It began when they were picked out by GMTV last autumn as being representative of younger families up and down the country who were struggling to cope with the credit crunch and soaring cost of living.

They told the PM then how they had been affected by rising mortgage costs after coming off a fixed rate mortgage, and by soaring petrol, gas, electricity and food bills. He promised falling mortgage rates, petrol and food prices. Later Tory leader David Cameron visited them at their home, again in front of the GMTV cameras.

Today’s visit was without GMTV’s involvement, but resulted from a promise by Mr Brown to pay a return visit when they were at Downing Street. The couple only found out earlier this week and, for security reasons, they were sworn to secrecy in advance about their distinguished visitor, even with their workplaces and closest relatives.

Mr Charlton, 31, told the PM that costs such as mortgages and petrol had fallen since they last met him, with their mortgage reduction enabling them to make extra payments to help out if either of them were to lose their job.

He said he had survived the rounds of redundancy at the insurance giant but remained concerned about the long-term future.

Mrs Charlton, 29, said a restructure was on the way at the tourist organisation, which recently moved to Leeds, and she had some concerns about her own position.

Mr Brown said: “Last year, the big worry was about mortgages, in particular about arrears and repossession, but the number of people expected to lose their homes hasn’t happened. People are now worried about jobs, and we have to make jobs more secure and build our way out of the recession.