Gordon Brown pledged on Tuesday to haul in the credit card issuers for a meeting designed to enshrine a new “responsible” approach to lending. The prime minister’s decision to “bring the credit card industry in” for talks at the Department for Business came as the government sought to maintain pressure on the banks over lending to small businesses.

Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, set out plans to establish a panel to monitor banks’ lending to the sector, as he chaired the inaugural meeting on Tuesday of a government-convened forum of main lenders and small business representatives.