UK's Darling plays down proposal for creation of G4

LONDON (Reuters) - British finance minister Alistair Darling played down suggestions on Saturday that a new G4 body might be set up.

A G7 source told Reuters earlier that the United States was pushing for the creation of a new group comprising itself, Japan, China and Europe to supplant the Group of Seven rich economies as an economic policymaking group.

Asked about this, Darling said: "These proposals have been around for a long time ... You shouldn't read too much into these proposals."

He said the G20 was now going to be the premier global economic policymaking group and Britain was also a member of the European Union.

But he added: "It is not our position that the G7 is going to be wound up."

(Reporting by Sumeet Desai; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)