Labour remains a “pro-business government” in spite of its new-found rhetorical aversion to City greed, Gordon Brown said on Sunday, as ministers prepared to face down pressure from the left of the party to regulate and tax companies more heavily.

Senior ministers are trying to find a balance between taking a tougher approach to “fat cats” – seen as a valuable political dividing line with the Tories’ laissez-faire approach to markets – and maintaining New Labour’s commitment to enterprise and corporate success.