James Gordon Brown

James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British Labour Party politician, who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1983, currently forKirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. He served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. Sony VAIO VGN-CR120E/L Battery

Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007, after the resignation of Tony Blair and three days after becoming leader of the governing Labour Party. Immediately before this, he had served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007.Sony VAIO VGN-CR120E/P Battery

His tenure ended in May 2010, when he resigned as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Brown was one of only three people to serve in the Cabinet continuously from Labour's victory in 1997 until its defeat in 2010, the others being Jack Straw and Alistair Darling.Sony VAIO VGN-CR120E/R Battery

Brown has a PhD in History from the University of Edinburgh and spent his early career working as a lecturer at a further education college and a televisionjournalist. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1983; first for Dunfermline East and since 2005 for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.Sony VAIO VGN-CR120E/W Battery

As Prime Minister, he also held the offices of First Lord of the Treasury and the Minister for the Civil Service.

Brown's time as Chancellor was marked by major reform of Britain's monetary and fiscal policy architecture, transferring interest rate setting powers to theBank of England, by a wide extension of the powers of the Treasury to cover much domestic policy and by transferring responsibility for banking supervision to the Financial Services Authority.Sony VAIO VGN-CR125E/B Battery

Controversial moves included the abolition of advance corporation tax (ACT) relief in his first budget,and the removal in his final budget of the 10% "starting rate" of personal income tax which he had introduced in 1999.

After initial rises in opinion polls following Brown's selection as leader, Labour performed poorly in local and European election results in 2009.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13/B Battery

A year later, Labour lost 91 seats in the House of Commons at the 2010 general election, the party's biggest loss of seats in a single general election since1931, giving the Conservative Party a plurality and resulting in a hung parliament. On 10 May 2010, Brown announced he would stand down as leader of the Labour Party, Sony VAIO VGN-CR13/L Battery

and instructed the party to put into motion the processes to elect a new leader. On 11 May 2010, Brown officially resigned as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. He was succeeded as Prime Minister by David Cameron,[18] and on 25 September 2010, he was succeeded as Leader of the Labour Party by Ed Miliband.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13/P Battery

Early life and career before Parliament

Gordon Brown was born at the Orchard Maternity Nursing Home in Giffnock, Renfrewshire, Scotland. His father was John Ebenezer Brown, a ministerof the Church of Scotland and a strong influence on Brown. He died in December 1998, aged 84.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13/R Battery

His mother Jessie Elizabeth Souter, known as Bunty, died on 19 September 2004, aged 86. She was the daughter of John Souter, a timber merchant.[23] Brown was brought up with his elder brother John and younger brother Andrew Brown in a manse in Kirkcaldy — the largest town in Fife, Scotland across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13/W Battery

In common with many other notable Scots, he is therefore often referred to as a "son of the manse".

Brown was educated first at Kirkcaldy West Primary School where he was selected for an experimental fast stream education programme, which took him two years early to Kirkcaldy High School for an academic hothouse education taught in separate classes.Sony VAIO VGN-CR131E/L Battery

At age 16 he wrote that he loathed and resented this "ludicrous" experiment on young lives.

He was accepted by the University of Edinburgh to study history at the same early age of 16. During an end-of-term rugby union match at his old school he received a kick to the head and suffered a retinal detachment. Sony VAIO VGN-CR13G Battery

This left him blind in his left eye, despite treatment including several operations and weeks spent lying in a darkened room. Later at Edinburgh, while playing tennis, he noticed the same symptoms in his right eye. Brown underwent experimental surgery at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and his eye was saved.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13G/B Battery

Brown graduated from Edinburgh with First Class Honours MA in History in 1972, and stayed on to complete his PhD in History (which he gained ten years later in 1982), titled The Labour Party and Political Change in Scotland 1918–29. In 1972, while still a student, Brown was elected Rector of the University of Edinburgh, the convener of the University Court.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13G/L Battery

He served as Rector until 1975, and also edited the document The Red Paper on Scotland.

From 1976 to 1980 Brown was employed as a lecturer in Politics at Glasgow College of Technology. In the 1979 general election, he stood for theEdinburgh South constituency, losing to the Conservative candidate, Michael Ancram.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13G/P Battery

From 1980 he worked as a journalist at Scottish Television, later serving as current affairs editor until his election to parliament in 1983. He also worked as a tutor for the Open University.

Election to parliament and opposition

Gordon Brown was elected to Parliament on his second attempt as a Labour MP for Dunfermline East in 1983 general election. Sony VAIO VGN-CR13G/R Battery

His first Westminster office mate was a newly elected MP from the Sedgefield constituency by the name of Tony Blair. Brown became opposition spokesman on Trade and Industry in 1985. In 1986, he published a biography of the Independent Labour Party politicianJames Maxton,Sony VAIO VGN-CR13G/W Battery

the subject of his PhD thesis. Brown was Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1987 to 1989 and then Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, before becoming Shadow Chancellor in 1992. Having led the Labour Movement Yes campaign,Sony VAIO VGN-CR13T/L Battery

refusing to join the cross-party Yes for Scotland campaign, during the 1979 Scottish devolution referendum, while other senior Labour politicians — including Robin Cook, Tam Dalyell and Brian Wilson – campaigned for a No vote, Brown was subsequently a key participant in the Scottish Constitutional Convention, signing the Claim of Right for Scotland in 1989.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13T/P Battery

After the sudden death of Labour leader John Smith in May 1994, Brown did not contest the leadership after Tony Blair became favourite, deciding to make way for Tony Blair to avoiding splitting the pro-modernising vote in the leadership ballot.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13T/R Battery

It has long been rumoured a deal was struck between Blair and Brown at the former Granita restaurant in Islington, in which Blair promised to give Brown control of economic policy in return for Brown not standing against him in the leadership election.Sony VAIO VGN-CR13T/W Battery

Whether this is true or not, the relationship between Blair and Brown has been central to the fortunes of "New Labour", and they have mostly remained united in public, despite reported serious private rifts.

As Shadow Chancellor, Brown as Chancellor-in-waiting was seen as a good choice by business and the middle class. Sony VAIO VGN-CR15/B Battery

While he was Chancellor inflation sometimes exceeded the 2% target causing theGovernor of the Bank of England to write several letters to the Chancellor, each time inflation exceeded three per cent. In 2005 following a reorganisation of parliamentary constituencies in Scotland, Brown became MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath at the general election.Sony VAIO VGN-CR150E/B Battery

Chancellor of the Exchequer

In the 1997 general election, Labour defeated the Conservatives by a landslide to end their 18-year exile from government on when Tony Blair, the new prime minister, announced his ministerial team on 2 May 1997, he appointed Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer.Sony VAIO VGN-CR190 Battery

He would remain in this role for 10 years and two months, making him the longest-serving Chancellor in modern history. The Prime Minister's website highlights some achievements from Brown's decade as Chancellor: making the Bank of England independent and delivering an agreement on poverty and climate change at the G8summit in 2005.Sony VAIO VGN-CR190E/L Battery

Early economic reforms

On taking office as Chancellor of the Exchequer Brown gave the Bank of England operational independence in monetary policy, and thus responsibility for setting interest rates through the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee.Sony VAIO VGN-CR190E/P Battery

At the same time he also changed the inflation measure from the Retail Price Indexto the Consumer Price Index and transferred responsibility for banking supervision to the Financial Services Authority. Some commentators have argued that this division of responsibilities exacerbated the severity, in Britain, of 2007 global banking crisis.Sony VAIO VGN-CR190E/R Battery

Taxation and spending

In the 1997 election and subsequently, Brown pledged to not increase the basic or higher rates of income tax. Over his Chancellorship, he reduced the basic rate from 23% to 20%. However, in all but his final budget, Brown increased the tax thresholds in line with inflation, rather than earnings, resulting in fiscal drag.Sony VAIO VGN-CR190E/W Battery

Corporation tax fell under Brown, from a main rate of 33% to 28%, and from 24% to 19% for small businesses. In 1999, he introduced a lower tax band of 10%. He abolished this 10% tax band in his last budget in 2007 to reduce the basic rate from 22% to 20%, increasing tax for 5 million people and,Sony VAIO VGN-CR19VN/B Battery

according to the calculations of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, leaving those earning between £5,000 and £18,000 as the biggest losers. According to theOECD UK taxation has increased from a 39.3% share of gross domestic product in 1997 to 42.4% in 2006, going to a higher level than Germany.Sony VAIO VGN-CR19XN/B Battery

This increase has mainly been attributed to active government policy, and not simply to the growing economy. Conservatives have accused Brown of imposing "stealth taxes". A commonly reported example resulted in 1997 from a technical change in the way corporation tax is collected, Sony VAIO VGN-CR20 Battery

the indirect effect of which was for the dividends on stock investments held within pensions to be taxed, thus lowering pension returns and contributing to the demise of most of the final salary pension funds in the UK.[50] The Treasury contends that this tax change was crucial to long-term economic growth.Sony VAIO VGN-CR21/B Battery

Brown's 2000 Spending Review outlined a major expansion of government spending, particularly on health and education. In his April 2002 budget, Brown increased national insurance to pay for health spending. He also introduced working tax credits.Sony VAIO VGN-CR21E/L Battery

European single currency

In October 1997, Brown took control of the United Kingdom's membership of the European single currency issue by announcing the Treasury would set five economic tests to ascertain whether the economic case had been made. In June 2003 the Treasury indicated the tests had not been passed.Sony VAIO VGN-CR21E/P Battery

Other issues

In 2000, Brown was accused of starting a political row about higher education (referred to as the Laura Spence Affair) when he accused the University of Oxford of elitism in its admissions procedures, describing its decision not to offer a place to state school pupil Laura Spence as "absolutely outrageous".Sony VAIO VGN-CR21E/W Battery

Lord Jenkins, then Oxford Chancellor and himself a former Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, said "nearly every fact he used was false."

Between 1999 and 2002 Brown sold 60% of the UK's gold reserves shortly before gold entered a protracted bull market, since nicknamed by dealers as Brown Bottom.Sony VAIO VGN-CR21S/L Battery

The official reason for selling the gold reserves was to reduce the portfolio risk of the UK's reserves by diversifying away from gold.[60] The UK eventually sold about 395 tons of gold over 17 auctions from July 1999 to March 2002, at an average price of about US$275 per ounce, raising approximately US$3.5 billion.Sony VAIO VGN-CR21S/P Battery

By 2011, that quantity of gold would be worth over $19 billion, leading to Brown's decision to sell the gold being widely criticised.

During his time as Chancellor, Brown reportedly believed that it was appropriate to remove most, but not all, of the unpayable Third World debt.Sony VAIO VGN-CR21S/W Battery

On 20 April 2006, in a speech to the United NationsAmbassadors, Brown outlined a "Green" view of global development.

Run-up to succeeding Tony Blair

In October 2004, Tony Blair announced he would not lead the party into a fourth general election, but would serve a full third term.Sony VAIO VGN-CR21Z/N Battery

Political comment over the relationship between Brown and Blair continued up to and beyond the 2005 election, which Labour won with a reduced parliamentary majority and reduced vote share. Blair announced on 7 September 2006 that he would step down within a year.Sony VAIO VGN-CR21Z/R Battery

Brown was the clear favourite to succeed Blair; he was the only candidate spoken of seriously in Westminster. Appearances and news coverage leading up to the handover were interpreted as preparing the ground for Brown to become Prime Minister, in part by creating the impression of a statesman with a vision for leadership and global change. Sony VAIO VGN-CR220E/R Battery

This enabled Brown to signal the most significant priorities for his agenda as Prime Minister; speaking at a Fabian Society conference on 'The Next Decade' in January 2007, he stressed education, international development, narrowing inequalities (to pursue 'equality of opportunity and fairness of outcome'),Sony VAIO VGN-CR23/B Battery

renewing Britishness, restoring trust in politics, and winning hearts and minds in the war on terror as key priorities.

Prime Minister

Brown ceased to be Chancellor and became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 27 June 2007.Sony VAIO VGN-CR23/L Battery

Like all modern Prime Ministers, Brown concurrently served as the First Lord of the Treasuryand the Minister for the Civil Service, and was a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. Until his resignation from the post in May 2010 he was Leader of the Labour Party. Sony VAIO VGN-CR23/N Battery

He is Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. He is the sixth post-war prime minister, of a total of 12, to assume the role without having won a general election. Brown was the first prime minister from a Scottish constituency since the Conservative Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1964. Sony VAIO VGN-CR23/P Battery

Not all British prime ministers have attended university, but of the ones that did Brown was one of only five that did not attend either Oxford or Cambridge, the others were, the Earl of Bute (Leiden), Lord John Russell (Edinburgh), Andrew Bonar Law (University of Glasgow), and Neville Chamberlain(Mason Science College, later Birmingham).Sony VAIO VGN-CR23/R Battery

Brown proposed moving some traditional prime ministerial powers conferred by royal prerogative to the realm of Parliament, such as the power to declare war and approve appointments to senior positions. Brown wanted Parliament to gain the right to ratify treaties and have more oversight into the intelligence services. Sony VAIO VGN-CR23/W Battery

He also proposed moving some powers from Parliament to citizens, including the right to form "citizens' juries", easily petition Parliament for new laws, and rally outside Westminster. He asserted that the attorney general should not have the right to decide whether to prosecute in individual cases, such as in the loans for peerages scandal.Sony VAIO VGN-CR240E/B Battery

During his Labour leadership campaign Brown proposed some policy initiatives which he called 'The manifesto for change.' The manifesto included a clampdown on corruption and a newMinisterial Code, which set out clear standards of behaviour for ministers.Sony VAIO VGN-CR240N/B Battery

Brown also stated in a speech when announcing his bid that he wants a "better constitution" that is "clear about the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen in Britain today". He planned to set up an all-party convention to look at new powers for Parliament and to look at rebalancing powers between Whitehall and local government.Sony VAIO VGN-CR25G/N Battery

Brown said he would give Parliament the final say on whether British troops are sent into action in future. Brown said he wanted to release more land and ease access to ownership with shared equity schemes. He backed a proposal to build new eco-towns, each housing between 10,000 and 20,000 home-owners — up to 100,000 new homes in total. Sony VAIO VGN-CR290EAL Battery

Brown also said he wanted to have doctors' surgeries open at the weekends, and GPs on call in the evenings. Doctors were given the right of opting out of out-of-hours care in 2007, under a controversial pay deal, signed by then-Health Secretary John Reid, which awarded them a 22% pay rise in 2006. Sony VAIO VGN-CR290EAN Battery

Brown also stated in the manifesto that the NHS was his top priority. There was speculation during September and early October 2007 about whether Brown would call a snap general election. Brown announced that there would be no election in the near future and seemed to rule out an election in 2008.Sony VAIO VGN-CR290EAP Battery

His political opponents accused him of being indecisive, which Brown denied. In July 2008 Brown supported a new bill extending this pre-charge detention period to 42 days. The bill was met with opposition on both sides of the House and backbench rebellion. In the end the bill passed by just 9 votes.Sony VAIO VGN-CR290EAR Battery

The House of Lords defeated the bill, with Lords characterising it as "fatally flawed, ill thought through and unnecessary", stating that "it seeks to further erode fundamental legal and civil rights".

Brown was mentioned by the press in the expenses crisis for claiming for the payment of his cleaner.Sony VAIO VGN-CR290EAW Battery

However, no wrongdoing was found and the Commons Authority did not pursue Brown over the claim. Meanwhile, the Commons Fees Office stated that a double payment for a £153 plumbing repair bill was a mistake on their part and that Brown had repaid it in full.Sony VAIO VGN-CR29XN/B Battery

Foreign policy

Brown was committed to the Iraq War, but said in a speech in June 2007 that he would "learn the lessons" from the mistakes made in Iraq.[80] Brown said in a letter published on 17 March 2008 that the United Kingdom would hold an inquiry into the Iraq war.Sony VAIO VGN-CR305E/RC Battery

He is also a member of the lobby group, Labour Friends of Israel.

Brown went to great lengths to empathise with those who lost family members in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. He has often said "War is tragic", echoing Blair's memorable quote, "War is horrible".Sony VAIO VGN-CR31S/D Battery

Nonetheless, in November 2007 Brown was accused by some senior military figures of not adhering to the 'military covenant', a convention within British politics insuring adequate safeguards, rewards and compensation for military personnel who risk their lives in obedience to orders derived from the policy of the elected government.Sony VAIO VGN-CR323/W Battery

Brown skipped the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics, on 8 August 2008 in Beijing. He attended the closing ceremony instead, on 24 August 2008. Brown had been under intense pressure from human rights campaigners to send a message to China, concerning the 2008 Tibetan unrest.Sony VAIO VGN-CR33 Battery

His decision not to attend the opening ceremony was not an act of protest, but rather was made several weeks in advance and not intended as a stand on principle. Sony VAIO VGN-CR382 Battery

In a speech in July 2007, Brown personally clarified his position regarding Britain's relationship with the USA "We will not allow people to separate us from the United States of America in dealing with the common challenges that we face around the world. Sony VAIO VGN-CR490EBL Battery

I think people have got to remember that the special relationship between a British prime minister and an American president is built on the things that we share, the same enduring values about the importance of liberty, opportunity, the dignity of the individual. I will continue to work, as Tony Blair did, very closely with the American administration."Sony VAIO VGN-CR490EBN Battery

Brown and the Labour party had pledged to allow a referendum on the EU Treaty of Lisbon. On the morning of 13 December 2007, Foreign Secretary David Miliband attended for the Prime Minister at the official signing ceremony in Lisbon of the EU Reform Treaty.Sony VAIO VGN-CR490EBP Battery

Brown's opponents on both sides of the House, and in the press, suggested that ratification by Parliament was not enough and that a referendum should also be held. Labour's 2005 manifesto had pledged to give British public a referendum on the original EU Constitution.Sony VAIO VGN-CR490EBR Battery

Brown argued that the Treaty significantly differed from the Constitution, and as such did not require a referendum. He also responded with plans for a lengthy debate on the topic, and stated that he believed the document to be too complex to be decided by referendum.Sony VAIO VGN-CR490EBT Battery

Drug policy

During Brown's premiership, in October 2008, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) recommended to the then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that cannabis remain classified as a Class C drug. Acting against the advice of the Council, she chose to reclassify it as class B.Sony VAIO VGN-CR490EBW Battery

After Professor David Nutt, the chair of the ACMD, criticised this move in a lecture in 2009, he was asked to step down by then Home Secretary Alan Johnson. Following his resignation, Professor Nutt said Gordon Brown had "made up his mind" to reclassify cannabis despite evidence to the contrary.Sony VAIO VGN-CR50B/W Battery

Gordon Brown had argued, "I don't think that the previous studies took into account that so much of the cannabis on the streets is now of a lethal quality and we really have got to send out a message to young people – this is not acceptable".Sony VAIO VGN-CR51B/W Battery

Professor Nutt's predecessor at the ACMD, Sir Michael Rawlins, later said, "Governments may well have good reasons for taking an alternative view... When that happens, then the government should explain why it's ignoring the particular advice".Sony VAIO VGN-CR520E/J Battery

Global recession

Brown's premiership coincided with the global recession, during which Brown called for fiscal action in an attempt to stimulate aggregate demand. Domestically, Brown's administration introduced measures including a bank rescue package worth around £500 billion (approximately $850 billion), a temporary 2.5% cut in Value Added Tax (Sales Tax) and a "car scrappage" scheme.Sony VAIO VGN-CR52B/W Battery

Plots against leadership

In mid-2008, Brown's leadership was presented with a challenge as some MPs openly called for him to resign. This event was dubbed the 'Lancashire Plot', as two backbenchers from (pre-1974) Lancashire urged him to step down and a third questioned his chances of holding on to the Labour Party leadership. Sony VAIO VGN-CR590EBL Battery

Several MPs argued that if Brown did not recover in the polls by early 2009, he should call for a leadership contest. However, certain prominent MPs, such as Jacqui Smith and Bill Rammell, suggested that Brown was the right person to lead Britain through its economic crisis.Sony VAIO VGN-CR590EBN Battery

In the Autumn, Siobhain McDonagh, a MP and junior government whip, who during her time in office had never voted against the government, spoke of the need for discussion over Brown's position. McDonagh was sacked from her role shortly afterwards, on 12 September.Sony VAIO VGN-CR590EBP Battery

Whilst McDonagh did not state that she wanted Brown deposed, she implored the Labour party to hold a leadership election, she was sacked from her role shortly afterwards. McDonagh was supported by Joan Ryan (who applied, as McDonagh had, for leadership nomination papers, and became the second rebel to be fired from her job), Sony VAIO VGN-CR590EBR Battery

Jim Dowd, Greg Pope, and a string of others who had previously held positions in government, made clear their desire for a contest.[103] In the face of this speculation over Brown's future, his ministers backed him to lead the party, and Harriet Harman and David Miliband denied that they were preparing leadership bids.Sony VAIO VGN-CR590EBT Battery

After Labour lost the Glasgow East by-election in July, Harman, the deputy leader of the party, said that Brown was the "solution", not the "problem"; Home Secretary Smith, Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Schools Secretary Ed Ballsand Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband all re-affirmed their support for Brown.Sony VAIO VGN-CR590EBW Battery

The deputy Prime Minister under Blair, John Prescott, also pledged his support. Foreign Secretary David Miliband then denied that he was plotting a leadership bid, when on 30 July, an article written by him in The Guardian was interpreted by a large number in the media as an attempt to undermine Brown. Sony VAIO VGN-CR60B/L Battery

In the article, Miliband outlined the party's future, but neglected to mention the Prime Minister. Miliband, responded to this by saying that he was confident Brown could lead Labour to victory in the next general election, and that his article was an attack against the fatalism in the party since the loss of Glasgow-East.Sony VAIO VGN-CR60B/P Battery

Miliband continued to show his support for Brown in the face of the challenge that emerged in September, as did Business Secretary John Hutton, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, and Chief Whip Geoff Hoon.Sony VAIO VGN-CR60B/R Battery

On 6 January 2010, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon jointly called for a secret ballot on the future of Brown's leadership. The call received little support and the following day Hoon said that it appeared to have failed and was "over". Brown later referred to the call for a secret ballot as a "form of silliness".Sony VAIO VGN-CR61B/L Battery

By-elections and 2009 local and European elections

In the local elections on 1 May 2008, Labour suffered their worst results in 40 years finishing in third place with a projected 24% share of the national vote. Subsequently the party has seen the loss of by-elections in Nantwich and Crewe and Henley as well as slumps in the polls. Sony VAIO VGN-CR61B/N Battery

A by-election in Glasgow Easttriggered by the resignation of David Marshall saw the Labour party struggle to appoint a candidate, eventually settling for Margaret Curran, a sitting MSP in the Scottish Parliament. The SNP, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have all derided the party for their disorganised nature with Alex Salmondcommenting "This is their 'lost weekend' –Sony VAIO VGN-CR61B/P Battery

they don't have a leader in Scotland, they don't have a candidate in Glasgow East, and they have a prime minister who refuses to come to the constituency". Labour lost the constituency to the Scottish National Party's John Mason who took 11,277 votes with Labour just 365 behind. The seat experienced a swing of 22.54%.Sony VAIO VGN-CR61B/R Battery

In the European elections, Labour polled 16% of the vote, finishing in third place behind the Conservatives and United Kingdom Independence Party(UKIP). Voter apathy was reflected in the historically low turnout of around thirty three percent. In Scotland voter turnout was only twenty eight per cent.Sony VAIO VGN-CR62B/L Battery

In the local elections, Labour polled 23% of the vote, finishing in third place behind Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, with Labour losing control of the four councils it had held prior to the election. In a vote widely considered to be a reaction to the expenses scandal, the share of the votes was down for all the major parties;Sony VAIO VGN-CR62B/N Battery

Labour was down one percent, the Conservative share was down five percent. The beneficiary of the public backlash was generally seen to be the minor parties, including the Green Party and UKIP. These results were Labour's worst since World War II.Sony VAIO VGN-CR62B/P Battery

Gordon Brown was quoted in the press as having said that the results were "a painful defeat for Labour", and that "too many good people doing so much good for their communities and their constituencies have lost through no fault of their own." Sony VAIO VGN-CR62B/R Battery

General election 2010

In April 2010, Brown asked the Queen to dissolve Parliament and call new elections, which included the first televised leadership debates in British History.Sony VAIO VGN-CR70B/W Battery

The result of the election was a hung parliament, laying the foundations for the first full coalition government since 1974 and only the second since the Grand Coalition during World War II that sat for almost 8 years.

Brown was re-elected to serve as MP for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath constituency on 6 May 2010 with 29,559 votes representing 64.5% of votes.Sony VAIO VGN-CR71B/W Battery

Resignation

Brown announced on 10 May 2010 that he would stand down as Labour Leader, with a view to a successor being chosen before the next Labour Party Conference in September 2010. The following day, negotiations between the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition government failed. Sony VAIO VGN-CR72B/W Battery

During the evening, Brown visited Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation as Prime Minister to Queen Elizabeth II and to recommend that she invite the Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron, to form a government. He resigned as leader of the Labour Party with immediate effect.Sony VAIO VGN-CR90HS Battery

Return to the backbenches

On 13 May 2010, in his first public appearance since leaving 10 Downing Street, two days after resigning as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party, Brown confirmed he intended to stay on in Parliament, serving as a Labour Backbencher, in order to serve the people of his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency.Sony VAIO VGN-CR90NS Battery

World Wide Web Foundation

Sir Tim Berners-Lee worked with the UK government during Brown's premiership to publish government data as freely as possible on the internet in the data.gov.uk project. Berners-Lee subsequently invited Brown to become a board director of the World Wide Web.Sony VAIO VGN-CR90S Battery

Foundation to "advise the Web Foundation on ways to involve disadvantaged communities and global leaders in the development of sustainable programs that connect humanity and affect positive change".

World Economic Forum role

On 22 April 2011 it was announced that Brown would be taking on an unpaid advisory role at the World Economic Forum.Sony VAIO VGN-CR92HS Battery

Other positions

Brown was appointed as the inaugural 'Distinguished Leader in Residence' by New York University and has already taken part in discussions and lectures relating to the global financial crisis and globalization.Sony VAIO VGN-CR92NS Battery

Personal life and family

Brown's early girlfriends included the journalist Sheena McDonald and Princess Margarita, the eldest daughter of exiled King Michael of Romania. At the age of 49, Brown married Sarah Macaulay in a private ceremony at his home in North Queensferry, Fife, on 3 August 2000.Sony VAIO VGN-CR92S Battery

On 28 December 2001 a daughter, Jennifer Jane, was born prematurely and died on 7 January 2002 one day after suffering a brain haemorrhage. They currently have two children, John Macaulay and (James) Fraser. In November 2006, James Fraser was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.Sony VAIO VGN-CS118E/Q Battery

The Sun had learned of the situation in 2006 and published the story. In 2011 Brown stated he had wanted the details of his son's condition kept private and that the publication had left him "in tears".The Sun said they approached Mr Brown and that discussion occurred with his colleagues who provided quotes to use in the article.Sony VAIO VGN-CS118E/R Battery

Sarah Brown rarely makes official appearances either with or without her husband. She is inevitably much sought after to give interviews. She is, however, patron of several charities and has written articles for national newspapers related to this.Sony VAIO VGN-CS118E/W Battery

At the 2008 Labour Party Conference, Sarah caused surprise by taking to the stage to introduce her husband for his keynote address.Since then her public profile has increased.

Gordon Brown has two brothers, John Brown and Andrew Brown. Sony VAIO VGN-CS11S/P Battery

Andrew has been Head of Media Relations in the UK for the French-owned utility companyEDF Energy since 2004. Gordon Brown is also the brother-in-law of environmental journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown. Gordon wrote a piece for The Independent, supporting Clare's current environmental efforts on behalf of Sarawak.Sony VAIO VGN-CS11S/Q Battery

Whilst PM Brown spent some of his spare time at Chequers, the house often being filled with friends. The Browns have entertained local dignitaries like Sir Leonard Figg. Brown is also a friend of Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, who says of Brown "I know him as affable, funny and gregarious, a great listener, a kind and loyal friend."Sony VAIO VGN-CS11S/W Battery

Religion

The son of a Church of Scotland minister, Brown has talked about what he calls his "moral compass" and of his parents being his "inspiration". He has, at least ostensibly, been keen to keep his religion a private matter. According to the Guardian, he is a member of the Church of Scotland.Sony VAIO VGN-CS11Z/R Battery

In April 2009, Brown gave what was the first ever speech by a serving Prime Minister at St Paul's Cathedral in London. He referred to a 'single powerful modern sense demanding responsibility from all and fairness to all'. He also talked about the Christian doctrine of 'do to others what you would have them do unto you', Sony VAIO VGN-CS120J/P Battery

which he compared to similar principles in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism andSikhism. He went on, 'They each and all reflect a sense that we share the pain of others, and a sense that we believe in something bigger than ourselves—that we cannot be truly content while others face despair, Sony VAIO VGN-CS120J/Q Battery

cannot be completely at ease while others live in fear, cannot be satisfied while others are in sorrow", and continued, "We all feel, regardless of the source of our philosophy, the same deep moral sense that each of us is our brother and sisters' keeper... We cannot and will not pass by on the other side when people are suffering and when we have it within our power to help.'Sony VAIO VGN-CS120J/R Battery

Socialism

Brown first thought of himself as being 'Labour' and his sense of social injustice was roused when he accompanied his father on visits around Kirkcaldy seeing the pain of unemployment and the misery of poverty and squalor as the mining and textile industries collapsed.Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTB Battery

Growing up he discovered Tawney, Tressell, Cole and other socialist texts which inspired him. He also found inspiration in Blake in poetry, Potter in drama, Lawrence in literature and the socialist leader James Maxton in Scottish history. These, he argues, fuelled his passion and activism, reinforcing his own political experience. Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTP Battery

For Brown the ethical basis of British socialism has several themes: the view that individuals are not primarily self-centered but are co-operative, that people are more likely to thrive in communities in which they play a full role and that people have talents and potential that the free market will not allow them to fully realise. Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTQ Battery

In addition, one of the most enduring of Brown's themes is the commitment to equality.

Honours

In March 2009 Brown was named World Statesman of the Year by the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an American organisation dedicated to promoting peace, human rights and understanding between religious faiths.Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTR Battery

The award was presented by Rabbi Arthur Schneier who praised Brown's "compassionate leadership in dealing with the challenging issues facing humanity, his commitment to freedom, human dignity and the environment, and for the major role he has played in helping to stabilize the world's financial system". Sony VAIO VGN-CS190JTW Battery

Depictions in popular culture

In keeping with its tradition of having a comic strip for every Prime Minister Private Eye featured a comic strip, The Broonites (a parody of The Broons), parodying Brown's government. Private Eye also had a column titled Prime Ministerial Decree, a parody of statements that would be issued by Communist governments in the former Eastern Bloc.Sony VAIO VGN-CS190NAB Battery

Brown was depicted in Season 13 of South Park when world leaders plot to steal money from aliens in order to deal with the global recession, in the episode "Pinewood Derby". He also makes an appearance in the first issue of Marvel Comics' Captain Britain and MI: 13, overseeing Britain's response to the Skrull invasion of Earth.Sony VAIO VGN-CS190NAC Battery

The Premiership of Gordon Brown began on 27 June 2007, when Brown accepted the Queen's invitation to form a government, replacing Tony Blair as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and ended with his resignation as Prime Minister on 11 May 2010.Sony VAIO VGN-CS190NAD Battery

While serving as Prime Minister, Brown also served as the First Lord of the Treasury, the Minister for the Civil Service and the Leader of the Labour Party. He was succeeded by David Cameron.

Brown's style of government differed from that of his predecessor, Tony Blair, who had been seen as presidential.Sony VAIO VGN-CS190NBB Battery

Brown rescinded some of the policies which had either been introduced or were planned by Blair's administration. He remained committed to close ties with the United States and to the Iraq war, although he established an inquiry into the reasons why Britain had participated in the conflict. Sony VAIO VGN-CS190NCA Battery

He proposed a "government of all the talents" which would involve co-opting leading personalities from industry and other professional walks of life into government positions. Brown also appointed Jacqui Smith as the UK's first female Home Secretary, while Brown's old position as Chancellor was taken over by Alistair Darling.Sony VAIO VGN-CS190NCB Battery

Brown's government introduced a number of fiscal policies to help keep the British economy afloat during the financial crisis which occurred throughout the latter part of the 2000s and early 2010, although the United Kingdom saw a dramatic increase in its national debt.Sony VAIO VGN-CS190NCC Battery

Several major banks were nationalised after falling into financial difficulties, while large amounts of money were pumped into the economy to encourage spending. Labour was also press ganged into giving Gurkhas settlement rights in Britain by the actress and campaigner Joanna Lumley and attracted criticism for its handling of the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi,Sony VAIO VGN-CS50B/W Battery

the only person to have been convicted over the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. Brown was also dogged by allegations of bullying.

Initially, during the first four months of his premiership, Brown enjoyed a good lead in the polls. Sony VAIO VGN-CS51B/W Battery

His popularity amongst the public may be due to his handling of numerous serious events during his first few weeks as Prime Minister, including two attempted terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow at the end of June. However, between the end of 2007 and September 2008, his popularity had fallen significantly, Sony VAIO VGN-CS52JB/W Battery

with two contributing factors believed to be his perceived change of mind over plans to call a snap general election in October 2007, and his handling of the 10p tax rate cut in 2008, which led to allegations of weakness and dithering. His unpopularity led eight labour MPs to call for a leadership contest in September 2008, less than 15 months into his premiership.Sony VAIO VGN-CS60B/P Battery

The threat of a leadership contest receded due to his perceived strong handling of the global financial crisis in October, but his popularity hit an all time low, and his position became increasingly under threat after the May 2009 expenses scandal and Labour's poor results in the 2009 Local and European elections. Sony VAIO VGN-CS60B/Q Battery

Brown's cabinet began to rebel with several key resignations in the run up to local elections in June 2009. However, Brown was ultimately backed by his party. Brown faced a second attempt to launch a leadership challenge by former Cabinet colleagues Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt in January 2010, Sony VAIO VGN-CS60B/R Battery

but the plot failed to gather momentum and Brown remained as both Labour leader and Prime Minister to lead his Party into the2010 General Election. The election resulted in a hung parliament with the Conservative Party achieving the largest number of seats. Sony VAIO VGN-CS61B/P Battery

Brown remained as prime minister while the Liberal Democrats negotiated with Labour and the Conservatives to form a coalition government. He announced his intention to resign on 10 May 2010 in order to help broker a Labour-Liberal Democrat deal.Sony VAIO VGN-CS61B/Q Battery

However, this became increasingly unlikely, and on 11 May Brown announced his resignation as Prime Minister. He also announced his resignation as Leader of the Labour Party.

Bid for Labour leadership

After months of speculation, Gordon Brown formally announced on 11 May 2007 his bid for the Labour leadership and replaced Tony Blair as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007. Sony VAIO VGN-CS61B/R Battery

On Channel 4 News on 16 May 2007, it was announced that Andrew Mackinlay had nominated Brown giving him 308 nominations, sufficient to avoid a leadership contest (although another report states that the decisive nomination was made by Tony Wright[4]with MacKinlay yet to nominate at that point).Sony VAIO VGN-CS62JB/P Battery

Since Blair's announcement of his resignation and Brown's bid for leadership, the Labour Party gained a bounce in the polls, gaining three points after months of low polls trailing behind the opposition, the Conservative Party although they have since lost such a lead.Sony VAIO VGN-CS62JB/Q Battery

Brown launched his campaign website the same day as formally announcing his bid for leadership "Gordon Brown for Britain".

Policies

Brown was careful not to suggest that there would be any U-turns in the key areas of Blair's social policy, or any radical breakaway from New Labour. Sony VAIO VGN-CS62JB/R Battery

He did, however, propose a different style of government than that of Blair's much-criticised 'presidential-style' government. Brown was not too clear on certain parts of his policies, but he did suggest that a Brown-led government would introduce the following;Sony VAIO VGN-CS71B/W Battery

• Sleaze-busting package - Following the cash for honours scandal, Brown emphasised cracking down on sleaze. This led to the belief that Brown would introduce a new Ministerial Code that would set out clear standards of behaviour for ministers.Sony VAIO VGN-CS72JB/W Battery
• He said that he intended to strip Number 10 Downing Street of some the powers conferred on it by royal prerogative, including the ability todeclare war, thus giving the Parliament more powers and rights to vet and veto appointments to senior public positions, in a bid to crack down on cronyism.Sony VAIO VGN-CS90HS Battery
• Environment - Pledge to make Britain a "World Leader" in combating climate change, with big cuts in carbon emissions that were even bigger than most other developed nations.
• Constitutional reform - Brown did not make it clear whether he proposed a written constitution – something the UK has never had – or a looser bill of rights. Sony VAIO VGN-CS90NS Battery
• He said in a speech when announcing his bid that he wanted a “better constitution” that was “clear about the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen in Britain today”. He planned to set up an all-party convention to look at new powers for Parliament, which could also look at rebalancing powers between Whitehall and local government. Sony VAIO VGN-CS90S Battery
• Brown also said that he would give Parliament the final say on whether British troopsare sent into action.
• Housing - It was suggested that House Planning restrictions could be relaxed. Brown said that he wanted to release more land and ease access to ownership with shared equity schemes. Sony VAIO VGN-CS91HS Battery
• He backed a proposal to build five eco-towns, each housing between 10,000 and 20,000 homeowners – up to 100,000 new homes in total.
• Health - Brown said he wanted to have doctors' surgeries open at weekends, and GPs on call in the evenings.Sony VAIO VGN-CS91NS Battery
• Doctors had been given the right of opting out of out-of-hours care two years previously, under a controversial pay deal, signed by then-Health Secretary John Reid, that awarded them a 22 per cent pay rise in 2006. Lord Ara Darzi was appointed to review NHS service delivery, especially in London;Sony VAIO VGN-CS91S Battery
• proposed policies included the induction of polyclinics, open to tender and possibly run by private companies.
• Foreign policy - Brown remained committed to the Iraq War, but said in a speech that he would "learn the lessons" from the mistakes made in Iraq. Sony VAIO VGN-CS92DS Battery
• He remained supportive of American policies, but said that he wanted a more "solid but not slavish" relationship with Washington.
• SOCPA - Brown intended to repeal sections 132 to 137 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, thereby enabling protest within the area around Parliament without prior permission from the Metropolitan Police.Sony VAIO VGN-CS92JS Battery
• ID cards - Brown’s campaign manager had hinted that one of Blair’s unpopular key policies would be reviewed. The cost of the £5.5 billion scheme was spiralling. However, Brown said on 12 May that he would press ahead with it.
• Europe - Brown supported the EU Reform Treaty and repeatedly dismissed calls for a referendum on the issue.Sony VAIO VGN-CS92XS Battery

First acts as Prime Minister

On his first day in office Brown rescinded the order in council which gave Alastair Campbell, who left office in 2003, and Jonathan Powell, his predecessor's political advisers, authority to issue instructions to civil servants. Sony VAIO VGN-FW11E Battery

Brown's senior advisers - such as Spencer Livermore, Sue Nye, Mike Ellam and Gavin Kelly - continued to exert considerable influence at the heart of government. Other senior advisors working for Brown in 10 Downing Street included former Treasury Special Advisers Damian McBride, Sony VAIO VGN-FW11L Battery

Jonathan Ashworth and Jo Dipple and former senior Labour Party official, Fiona Gordon.

Brown faced a major prime-ministerial challenge two days after entering office, when two unexploded car bombs were discovered in London on 29 June.Sony VAIO VGN-FW11M Battery

The following day, 30 June 2007, another car was driven into the entrance of the main terminal of Glasgow International Airport in a second apparent terrorist attack, causing a fire and considerable damage to the building. Brown was born in Glasgow, leading to speculation that the attacks were motivated against him.Sony VAIO VGN-FW11S Battery

As a result of both the London and Glasgow incidents, Brown chaired emergency COBRA meetings to review plans to protect the British public. He also spoke to the First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond regarding the incidents.

On 3 July, Brown announced a programme of constitutional reform, including limits on the powers of the Prime Minister, Sony VAIO VGN-FW11ZU Battery

extensions to the powers of Parliament, a consultation on a bill of rights and a possible lowering of the minimum voting age.

On 7 July 2007, Brown announced £14m in flood aid for the flood-hit areas in the north of England.

On 11 July, Brown announced that housing would be at the top of his political agenda, promising three million new homes to be built by 2020.Sony VAIO VGN-FW139E/H Battery

Gordon Brown Ministry

Brown appointed his first cabinet in the days following his succession as Prime Minister. David Miliband was appointed as Foreign Secretary while Alistair Darling succeeded Brown as Chancellor. Brown's team also included Jacqui Smith, who became Britain's first female Home Secretary. Sony VAIO VGN-FW140AE Battery

Jack Straw was appointed to the new role of Justice Secretary. Brown also advocated a "Government of all the talents" in which people who had not previously been members of the Labour Party, but who extertese in specific areas would be appointed as ministers. Sony VAIO VGN-FW140D Battery

Consequently five new ministers were appointed, including Sir Ara Darzi, a consultant surgeon who became a health minister in the House of Lords; Sir Digby Jones, the former director general of the CBI, who became minister of state for trade and investment; and Sir Alan West, the former head of the Royal Navy, who became a security minister at the Home Office.Sony VAIO VGN-FW140E Battery

Foreign policy

Brown made his first overseas trip as Prime Minister to Berlin, where he spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In a speech given to the Labour Friends of Israel in April 2007, Brown stated:Sony VAIO VGN-FW140E/H Battery

Many of you know my interest in Israel and in the Jewish community has been long-standing…My father was the chairman of the Church of Scotland's Israel Committee. Not only as I've described to some of you before did he make visits on almost two occasions a year for 20 years to Israel — Sony VAIO VGN-FW140E/W Battery

but because of that, although Fife, where I grew up, was a long way from Israel with no TV pictures to link us together — I had a very clear view from household slides and projectors about the history of Israel, about the trials and tribulations of the Jewish people,Sony VAIO VGN-FW140FE Battery

about the enormous suffering and loss during the Holocaust, as well as the extraordinary struggle that he described to me of people to create this magnificent homeland.

Brown skipped the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics, on 8 August 2008 in Beijing. Sony VAIO VGN-FW140N Battery

He attended the closing ceremony instead, on 24 August 2008. Brown had been under intense pressure from human rights campaigners to send a message to China, concerning the 2008 Tibetan unrest. His decision not to attend the opening ceremony was not an act of protest, rather made several weeks in advance and not intended as a stand on principle.Sony VAIO VGN-FW140N/W Battery

Diplomatic relationship with the U.S.

There was widespread speculation on the nature of the UK's relationship with the United States under Brown's government. A Washington, D.C. speech by Brown's close aide Douglas Alexander was widely reported as both a policy shift and a message to the U.S: Sony VAIO VGN-FW145E Battery

"In the 21st century, strength should be measured on what we can build together…we need to demonstrate by our deeds, words and our actions that we are internationalist, not isolationist, multilateralist, not unilateralist, active and not passive, and driven by core values, consistently applied, not special interests."Sony VAIO VGN-FW145E/W Battery

However, Downing Street's spokesman strongly denied the suggestion that Alexander was trying to distance Britain from U.S. foreign policy and show that Britain would not necessarily, in Tony Blair's words, stand "shoulder to shoulder" with George W. Bush over future military interventions:Sony VAIO VGN-FW160AE Battery

"I thought the interpretation that was put on Douglas Alexander's words was quite extraordinary. To interpret this as saying anything at all about our relationship with the U.S. is nonsense."

Brown personally clarified his position; "We will not allow people to separate us from the United States of America in dealing with the common challenges that we face around the world. Sony VAIO VGN-FW160D Battery

I think people have got to remember that the relationship between Britain and America and between a British prime minister and an American president is built on the things that we share, the same enduring values about the importance of liberty, opportunity, the dignity of the individual. Sony VAIO VGN-FW160E Battery

I will continue to work, as Tony Blair did, very closely with the American administration."

European Union

Brown continued to be dogged by controversy about not holding a referendum on the EU Treaty of Lisbon. Sony VAIO VGN-FW160E/H Battery

On the morning of 13 December 2007, Foreign Secretary David Miliband stood in for the Prime Minister at the official signing ceremony in Lisbon of the EU Reform Treaty, which was attended by all other European heads of government. Brown was otherwise engaged at the House of Commons,Sony VAIO VGN-FW160F/E Battery

appearing before the Liaison Committee, and travelled to Portugal to sign the treaty in the afternoon which the EU leaders had signed in the morning. Brown came under heavy fire from opponents on both sides of the House and in the press, who suggested that neither Brown nor Labour had a mandate to ratify the treaty without public assent.Sony VAIO VGN-FW170J/H Battery

Conservative leader David Cameron pointed to Labour's 2005 manifesto, which had pledged to give British public a referendum on the original EU Constitution.Brown argued that the Treaty differed on significant points from the Constitution, and was no longer a "constitution" but an ordinary treaty, and as such did not require a referendum.Sony VAIO VGN-FW180AE Battery

He also responded with plans for a lengthy debate on the topic, and stated that he believed the document to be too complex to be decided by referendum.

Iraq Inquiry

Brown remained committed to the Iraq War, but said in a speech in June 2007 that he would "learn the lessons" from the mistakes made in Iraq.Sony VAIO VGN-FW180D Battery

Brown said in a letter published on 17 March 2008 that the United Kingdom will hold an inquiry into the Iraq war -- but not soon. It was not until 15 June 2009 that an inquiry was announced, with Brown saying that it would look into the country's role in the Iraq War and would be held in private,a decision which was subsequently changed.Sony VAIO VGN-FW180E Battery

Brown stated, "no British documents and no British witness will be beyond the scope of the inquiry."The announcement and nature of the inquiry was widely criticised. Conservative Party leader David Cameron dismissed the inquiry as "anestablishment stitch-up", and the Liberal Democrats threatened a boycott.Sony VAIO VGN-FW180E/H Battery

The open sessions of the inquiry commenced on 24 November 2009, televised from the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

On 5 March 2010, Gordon Brown appeared before the inquiry. Sony VAIO VGN-FW180FU Battery

In a four hour hearing he told the inquiry that he believed the war had been "right" and that intelligence briefings had convinced him that Iraq was a threat that "had to be dealt with". He said that the then Prime Minister Tony Blair had not kept him in the dark despite him not being aware of some developments and that the main issue which concerned him was that Iraq was in breach of UN resolutions.Sony VAIO VGN-FW190EBH Battery

He feared the "new world order we were trying to create would be put at risk" if the international community did not act together to deal with Iraq. On the question of equipment he said that troops had all the equipment they needed. Giving his assessment of the appearance, the BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said;Sony VAIO VGN-FW190ECH Battery

"Gordon Brown's aim today appears to be to look and sound different from Tony Blair whilst simultaneously opening up no gap of substance with him and the decisions he took."

Gurkhas settlement rights

On 24 April 2009 the government announced a long awaited decision on Gurkhas' rights to settle in the UK, leading to criticism for its decision to affix five criteria to any Gurkha soldier applying for British citizenship.Sony VAIO VGN-FW190EDH Battery

With the support of both Opposition parties and Labour rebel MPs on 29 April 2009 a Liberal Democrat motion that all Gurkhas be offered an equal right of residence was passed, allowing Gurkhas who served before 1997 residence in the UK.Following the Government defeat, Sony VAIO VGN-FW190NAH Battery

the Minister for Immigration Phil Woolas announced that a further review would be completed by the middle of July. This was followed by a very high profile campaign by the actress Joanna Lumley (who is the face of the Gurkha Justice Campaign), Sony VAIO VGN-FW190NBH Battery

which included a meeting with Brown at 10 Downing Street, and a confrontation with Phil Woolas at the BBC Westminster studios leading to an inpromptu press conference in which she pressured him into agreeing to further talks over the issue.Finally, after a Commons Home Affairs Committee meeting in which talks were held between campaigners,Sony VAIO VGN-FW190NCH Battery

the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office on 19 May, Gordon Brown announced to the House of Commons on 20 May that the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith would make a statement on the issue the following day. Smith subsequently announced that all Gurkha veterans who had served four years or more in the British Army before 1997 would be allowed to settle in Britain.Sony VAIO VGN-FW190NDH Battery

Release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi

In the days following the release and high profile return to Libya of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi in August 2009, speculation began to mount as to the possible involvement of theWestminster Government in the Scottish Government's decision to release him, Sony VAIO VGN-FW190NEH Battery

particularly after Saif Gaddafi, the son of Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi claimed that Megrahi's case had been discussed during business talks with the UK, and after Colonel Gaddafi thanked Gordon Brown for "encouraging" the release. This prompted Downing Street to confirm that Brown had discussed a possible release with Gaddafi during the G8 summit in Italy in July 2009,Sony VAIO VGN-FW198U/H Battery

but that a letter sent by Brown to the Libyan leader had stated, “When we met I stressed that, should the Scottish Executivedecide that Megrahi can return to Libya, this should be a purely private, family occasion.”

It was also claimed that Business Secretary, Sony VAIO VGN-FW260J/B Battery

Peter Mandelson, had met with Saif Gaddafi on at least two occasions at which a possible release had been discussed. Mandelson confirmed this, but said that he had told Gaddafi that any release was entirely a matter for the Scottish Justice Secretary. He went on to describe as "offensive" any suggestions that a release had been linked to a trade deal with Libya.Sony VAIO VGN-FW280J/H Battery

Banking crisis

On 14 September 2007, the Northern Rock Bank sought and received a liquidity support facility from the Bank of England, following problems in the credit markets, during the financial crisis of 2007–2010. Sony VAIO VGN-FW290JRB Battery

The bank was subsequently taken into public ownership by the British Government in February 2008, as a result of its financial problems caused by the subprime mortgage crisis.

As the global recession began to bite throughout 2008, serious concerns were expressed about the stability of the British banking system, Sony VAIO VGN-FW290JTB Battery

particularly after major falls in the stock market at the beginning of October, which saw Britain's leading share index, the FTSE100, record its largest single-day points fall since 1987. On 8 October in response to the crisis, the Government announced a bank rescue package totalling some £500 billion (approximately $850 billion). Sony VAIO VGN-FW290JTH Battery

The plan aimed to restore market confidence and help stabilise the British banking system, and provided for a range of short-term loans and guarantees of interbank lending, as well as up to £50 billion of state investment in the banks themselves. Sony VAIO VGN-FW290JTW Battery

Paul Krugman, the Nobel prize-winning economist, has asserted that Brown "defined the character of the worldwide financial rescue effort".

Recession and fiscal stimulus

With the onset of the recession, the United Kingdom was one of the major economies leading calls for fiscal action to stimulate aggregate demand. Sony VAIO VGN-FW355J/H Battery

Throughout 2008 a number of fiscal measures were introduced including a £145 tax cut for basic rate (below £34,800 pa earnings) tax payers, a temporary 2.5% cut in Value Added Tax (Sales Tax), £3 billion worth of investment spending brought forward from 2010 and a variety of other measures such as a £20 billion Small Enterprise Loan Guarantee Scheme.Sony VAIO VGN-FW373J/B Battery

The total cost of these measures, mostly announced in the November 2008 Pre-Budget Report was roughly £20 billion (not counting loan guarantees). Further limited measures worth £5 billion were unveiled in the 2009 budget including training help for the young unemployed and Sony VAIO VGN-FW30B Battery

a "car scrappage" scheme which offered £2,000 in subsidy for a new car purchase for the scrapping of a car more than 10 years old (similar to schemes in Germany and France).

Despite entering the crisis with a low level of public debt (roughly 40% of GDP) and a moderate deficit compared to many European nations, Sony VAIO VGN-FW50B Battery

the UK has been limited in its ability to take discretionary fiscal action by the significant burden that bank bail-outs have had on public finances. This has contributed to a significant rise in the deficit to an estimated £175 billion (12.4% of GDP) in 2009-10 and a rise in the national debt above 80% of GDP at its peak . Sony VAIO VGN-FW51B/W Battery

Furthermore, the UK has significant automatic stabilisers which have contributed far more than discretionary action and more than most other countries.

Brown's political opponents attributed Labour's drop in popularity to his failure to ensured the country had sufficient monetary reserves to be able to lower taxes and ease the burden on voters,Sony VAIO VGN-FW51MF Battery

despite overseeing one of the longest sustained periods of economic growth in the country's history during his time as Chancellor between 1997 and 2007.

2009 Pre-Budget report

On 9 December, in his final pre-Budget report before the 2010 general election,Sony VAIO VGN-FW51MF/H Battery

Chancellor Alastair Darling admitted that the recession had been deeper than predicted during the Budget in April, but claimed that the government's action to pump money into the economy had made a "real difference" to families and businesses.Sony VAIO VGN-FW51ZF Battery

He also announced a number of measures to help economic recovery, including a public sector pay freeze, a levy on bank bonuses and a package of measures to help the unemployed. He said the choice facing the country was "between securing the recovery or wrecking it".Sony VAIO VGN-FW51ZF/H Battery

Darling also said that the UK's total net debt would continue to rise until the financial year 2014-15. Borrowing would reach 56% of GDP in 2009-10 and peak at 78% in 2014-15, later than previously forecast. However, Darling stressed that was in line with other G7 economies. Sony VAIO VGN-FW52JB Battery

The measures would see increases in taxes for a large section of the population, prompting Shadow Chancellor George Osborne to declare that Labour should "never be trusted" with people's money again, while Labour was also accused of electioneering afterSony VAIO VGN-FW54FB Battery

Darling announced a 1.5 per cent rise in child and disability benefits from April 2010 - just weeks ahead of an expected election - but made no comment on whether the rise could be sustained after April 2011. Labour was also criticised because it had chosen to delay vital spending decisions until after the general election.Sony VAIO VGN-FW70DB Battery

Defending his decision on Radio 4's Today programme the following day, Darling said that he had not carried out a full spending review because of continued economic "uncertainty". On the issue of benefits he said that he had announced he was overriding the normal requirement to link the rise to the previous Sony VAIO VGN-FW71DB/W Battery

September's rate of inflation because this would have led to the benefits being frozen because inflation was negative at that point. Later the same day Brown also denied that the announcement had been a pre-election stunt.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated that public spending will face a £36bn shortfall in the three years from 2011 - with £15bn of the cuts needed yet to be identified. Sony VAIO VGN-FW72JGB Battery

The country's leading economic think tank forecasts that with spending on health and education protected, the areas most likely to face severe cuts are defence, housing, transport and higher education. Moreover, it is estimated that the cost to each individual family of paying back the national debt will be £2,400 a year for eight years.Sony VAIO VGN-FW73JGB Battery

On 11 December, it was reported that the Treasury had wanted a tougher approach to public spending in order to lend credibility to its plan to cut the deficit, but that Brown had overruled it following an aggressive public and private campaign by Schools Minister Ed Balls for a real-terms increase in education spending.Sony VAIO VGN-FW74FB Battery

Brown dismissed the report as "completely wrong".

Military covenant

November 2007 saw Brown face intense criticism of not adhering to the 'military covenant', a convention within British politics stating that in exchange for them putting their lives at risk for the sake of national security, the armed forces should in turn be suitably looked after by the government.Sony VAIO VGN-FW81HS Battery

Criticism came from several former Chiefs of Defence, including General Lord Guthrie, Admiral Lord Boyce,Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Craig, Field Marshal Lord Bramall and Field Marshal Lord Inge. Poor housing, lack of equipment and adequate healthcare provisions were some of the major issues Brown was accused of neglecting.Sony VAIO VGN-FW81NS Battery

42-day detention

Following the rejection of a previous bill under Tony Blair's government to allow for terror suspects to be detained for up to 90 days without charge, Brown championed a new bill extending this pre-charge detention period to 42 days. Sony VAIO VGN-FW81S Battery

The bill was met with opposition on both sides of the House and, facing a growing backbench rebellion, it is alleged that a number of deals were done behind the scenes to ensure a victory for Brown in the vote on this issue. In the end, the bill passed by just 9 votes.Sony VAIO VGN-FW82DS Battery

Many commentators view this as a Pyrrhic victory, as Brown had to rely upon the support of a renegade Conservative MP, Ann Widdecombe, and the votes of a handful of Democratic Unionist MPs. In a session of Prime Ministers' Questions some weeks later, David Cameron challenged Brown to concede on record that "no deals were done" in ensuring the bill was passed.Sony VAIO VGN-FW82JS Battery

Brown stood up before the House and gave a one-word response of "Yes". To uproar, Cameron proceeded to quote from a letter written by Geoff Hoon, Labour's Chief Whip, to the Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, Keith Vaz, in which Hoon expressed deep thanks for Vaz's support and in addition signed off the letter with the line "I trust that you will be appropriately rewarded."Sony VAIO VGN-FW82XS Battery

Hoon has claimed that this was just a joke between friends but others have viewed this letter as proof that deals were indeed done behind the scenes and that Brown was lying when he went on record as stating that no such deals were done. The House of Lords defeated the bill, with Lords characterising it as "fatally flawed,Sony VAIO VGN-FW83DS Battery

ill thought through and unnecessary", stating that "it seeks to further erode [...] fundamental legal and civil rights".

The "election that never was"

Gordon Brown caused controversy during September and early October 2007 by letting speculation continue on whether he would call a snap general election. Sony VAIO VGN-FW83JS Battery

Following the negative reaction to his visit to British troops in Iraq during the 2007 Conservative Party Conference, an 'off the cuff' conference speech made by David Cameron and an opinion poll showing Labour 6% behind the Conservative Party in key marginal seats, he finally announced that there would be no election in the near future and seemed to rule out an election in 2008. Sony VAIO VGN-FW83XS Battery

He was subsequently accused by his political opponents as being a ditherer and indecisive. Cameron accused Brown of "bottling" the election because of opinion polls, which Brown denied.

Plots against leadership

The first signs of internal disquiet towards Brown's policies surfaced as early as May 2008. Sony VAIO VGN-FW90HS Battery

Brown, in his 2007 budget, his last as Chancellor, abolished the 10% income tax rate for the lowest earners (5.1 million people), increasing their rate to the next highest, 20%. Earners who fell within the 22% tax rate band had their rate reduced to 20%, and tax allowances were also made for over-65s.Sony VAIO VGN-FW90NS Battery

These measures came into effect in April 2008. The "10p tax rate cut" as it was commonly referred to, was sharply criticised by Frank Field and several other backbenchers. Field also made comments saying that Brown did not seem to be enjoying his job. Health Secretary Alan Johnson believed that Field was motivated primarily by a personal dislike of Brown,Sony VAIO VGN-FW90S Battery

and Field later apologised, saying that he had regretted allowing his campaign to "become personal". In the face of protests such as this though, Chancellor Alistair Darling cut the tax rate for 22 million people, and borrowed around £2.7 bn to reimburse those on lower and middle incomes who had suffered.Sony VAIO VGN-FW91NS Battery

In the summer of 2008, Brown's leadership was presented with a fresh challenge as a large number of senior MPs openly called for him to resign. This event was dubbed the 'Lancashire Plot', as two backbenchers from North West England urged him to step down and a third questioned his chances of holding on to the Labour Party leadership.Sony VAIO VGN-FW91S Battery

Several MPs argued that if Brown did not recover in the polls by early 2009, he should call for a leadership contest. However, certain prominent MPs, such as Jacqui Smith and Bill Rammell, suggested that Brown was the right person to lead Britain through its economic crisis.Sony VAIO VGN-FW92DS Battery

A second assault upon Brown's premiership was launched in the autumn of that year, when Siobhain McDonagh, a MP who during her time in office had never voted against the government, spoke of the need for discussion over Brown's position. McDonagh, a junior government whip, was sacked from her role shortly afterwards, on 12 September. Sony VAIO VGN-FW92JS Battery

Whilst McDonagh did not state that she wanted Brown deposed, she implored the Labour party to hold a leadership election. McDonagh spoke of a "huge number" of Labour MPs who wanted a leadership election; her views were somewhat substantiated in the following days when several Labour MPs, Sony VAIO VGN-FW93DS Battery

including Field, Joan Ryan (who applied, as McDonagh had, for leadership nomination papers, and became the second rebel to be fired from her job), Jim Dowd, Greg Pope, and a string of others who had previously held positions in government, made clear their desire for a contest.Sony VAIO VGN-FW93JS Battery

In an unrelated incident, 12 backbenchers signed their names to a letter criticising Brown in Progress magazine. Eric Joyce, one of the MPs who signed this letter, said that Brown's future hinged on his performance at the upcoming Labour party conference.Sony VAIO VGN-FW93XS Battery

A Downing Street source responded to these revelations by stating that, "The Blairites have been talking up the idea of loads of ministers resigning. But the best they can come up with is an assistant government whip." Tony Lloyd, chairman of the parliamentary Labour Party, labelled the rebellion a "bit of a sideshow",Sony VAIO VGN-FW94FS Battery

and Emily Thornberry MP called Brown the "best qualified" to lead Britain through the economic crisis of 2008. The Labour party admitted that it had received letters from a small number of MPs querying why no nomination papers had been released. Sony VAIO VGN-FW94GS Battery

In the face of this growing speculation over Brown's future, the majority of his ministers also backed him to lead the party, and two, Harriet Harman and David Miliband, vigorously denied that they were preparing leadership bids. After the shock loss that Labour suffered in the Glasgow East by-election in July, Sony VAIO VGN-FW94HS Battery

Harman, the deputy leader of the party, suppressed rumours regarding her intentions, saying that Brown was the "solution", not the "problem"; Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband all re-affirmed their support for Brown.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ11E Battery

The deputy Prime Minister under Blair, John Prescott, also pledged his support. Foreign Secretary David Miliband was then forced to deny that he was plotting a leadership bid, when on 30 July, an article written by him in The Guardian was interpreted by a large number in the media as an attempt to undermine Brown. Sony VAIO VGN-FZ11L Battery

In the article, Miliband outlined the party's future, but neglected to mention the Prime Minister. Miliband, who had been forced to quell rumours that he would run against Brown in the leadership election of 2007, responded to this by saying that he was confident Brown could lead Labour to victory in the 2010 General Election,Sony VAIO VGN-FZ11M Battery

and that his article was an attack against the fatalism that had dogged the party since the loss of Glasgow-East.Miliband continued to show his support for Brown in the face of the challenge that emerged in September, as did Business Secretary John Hutton, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, and Chief Whip Geoff Hoon.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ11S Battery

2009 local and European elections

Labour suffered a historic defeat in the local elections and European elections, finishing third place behind the Conservatives and United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP). Voter apathy was reflected in the historically low turnout of around 33%. In Scotland, voter turnout was only 28%.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ11Z Battery

In the local elections, Labour finished third place behind the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, with Labour losing control of the four councils it had held prior to the election.In a vote widely considered to be a reaction to the expenses scandal, the share of the votes was down for all the major parties; Labour was down 1%, the Conservative share was down 5%t.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ130E Battery

The beneficiary of the public backlash was generally seen to be the minor parties, including the Green party and UKIP. Brown was quoted in the press as having said that the results were "a painful defeat for Labour", and that "too many good people doing so much good for their communities and their constituencies have lost through no fault of their own."Sony VAIO VGN-FZ130E/B Battery

The days leading up to the elections saw the resignations of several high profile cabinet ministers. These included the Europe Minister Caroline Flint, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, the Minister for Children, Beverley Hughes, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sony VAIO VGN-FZ130EB Battery

Hazel Blears, and Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell, who resigned minutes after the polls for the local and European elections had closed, and sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to step aside.

The results of the local elections were announced the following day, with the remaining councils under Labour Party control all falling to the Conservative Party's control. Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E Battery

The projected national vote shares suggested that the Conservatives achieved 38% of the vote, the Liberal Democrats 28% and Labour 23%. In the aftermath of these results, Brown reshuffled his cabinet amidst some pressure on his leadership.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E/B Battery

Further pressure was added following the results of the European parliamentary elections, which were announced on 7 June. These showed large declines in the vote of the Labour Party. The far-right British National Party also won their first ever seats in a national election, being elected in North West England and Yorkshire and the Humber.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140EB Battery

All of these events led to mounting speculation about Brown's future as Prime Minister, and a possible leadership challenge. However, after facing down his critics, Gordon Brown was applauded at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party on 8 June.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140N Battery

Brown continued to be unpopular, however, and in September, Britain's biggest selling newspaper, The Sun announced that it would withdraw its support for the Labour Party and gave its backing to the Conservatives, thus ending 12 years of support for Labour from the paper.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140N/B Battery

An attempt was eventually made to challenge Brown's leadership when, in January 2010 Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon wrote to Labour MPs calling for a secret ballot on the issue. Their letter claimed that the party was "deeply divided" and the issue should be sorted out "once and for all".Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140QE Battery

However, the plot failed to gather any momentum after several senior cabinet ministers spoke out in support of Brown.

Allegations of bullying

On 31 January 2010, the Mail on Sunday reported that a book written by the journalist Andrew Rawnsley would make allegations that Brown had flown into a series of rages and physically attacked members of his staff.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ145E Battery

The claims were fiercely denied by Brown's colleagues, and by Brown himself in an interview with the television presenter Piers Morgan in which he said "I have never hit anybody in my life." The book, The End of the Party, was published on 1 March 2010 after being serialised in a Sunday newspaper throughout February.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ15 Battery

In February 2010 Christine Pratt, founder of the National Bullying Helpline claimed that the helpline had taken calls from Downing Street staff, although she later stated that the calls did not refer to Brown himself. This led to the resignations of three of the charity's patrons: Cary Cooper, Ann Widdecombe and Sarah Cawood.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ150E Battery

The Charity Commission later said that it had received over 160 complaints concerning the helpline's handling of the situation, and as a result of the fallout it was voluntarily suspended, although it resumed service two days later.

2010 general election

On 6 April 2010, Gordon Brown visited Buckingham Palace to seek the Queen's permission to dissolve Parliament on 12 April, thus triggering a general election on 6 May.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ150E/BC Battery

Announcing the election shortly afterwards, Brown described it as the "least well-kept secret of recent years", since 6 May had been predicted as the most likely date for an election for some time. Labour's manifesto for the election was unveiled by Brown on 12 April under the party's election slogan of "A future fair for all", Sony VAIO VGN-FZ150EBC Battery

with the Prime Minister saying that Labour had a "plan for the future". Key pledges in the manifesto included;

• No rise in income tax rate during the next Parliament
• No extension in VAT to food and children's clothes Sony VAIO VGN-FZ15G Battery
• A new global banks levy
• No stamp duty for first time buyers on homes below £250,000
• A pledge to raise minimum wage in line with earnings
• The right for constituents to recall MPs Sony VAIO VGN-FZ15L Battery
• Referendums on democratic House of Lords and changing the voting system
• Plans to double paternity leave from two to four weeks
• A pledge not to privatise Royal Mail during the next Parliament Sony VAIO VGN-FZ15M Battery

The main opposition parties were critical in their response to the manifesto. The Conservative Party said that it would "change nothing", while the Liberal Democrats claimed that Labour wouldn't reform tax and politics. Conservative leader David Cameron said: "There is nothing new there, there is nothing different there."Sony VAIO VGN-FZ15S Battery

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg questioned how Labour could deliver "fairness and new politics" when they had promised the same at previous general elections, but failed to do so.

The election campaign saw the United Kingdom's first televised debates between the leaders of the three main parties.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ15T Battery

While Cameron and Clegg were generally perceived to have performed well in these, Brown was seen to have done less well.Brown also attracted criticism from the media after privately describing on 28 April, whilst in a car with his staff, a 65-year-old pensioner, Gillian Duffy, from Rochdale,Sony VAIO VGN-FZ160E Battery

Greater Manchester, as a "bigoted woman" after she stated that entitled people were not receiving benefits because non-entitled people are receiving them. She also expressed her displeasure at immigration from Eastern Europe. His remarks were recorded by a Sky News microphone he was still wearing following a visit to Rochdale, and widely broadcast.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ160E/B Battery

At the election Labour lost 91 seats in the House of Commons, but the rival Conservatives failed to achieve an overall majority, resulting in the first hung parliament since 1974. Under the constitution governing what happens in the event of a hung parliament Brown remained temporarily as prime minister,Sony VAIO VGN-FZ160EB Battery

while the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives entered into talks aimed at forming a coalition government. Talks also took place between the Liberal Democrats and Labour. On 10 May, Brown announced his intention to step down as leader of the Labour Party, and instructed the party to put into motion the processes to elect a new leader.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ17G Battery

Brown's continued presence as Prime Minister was seen as a stumbling block to formulating a Labour-Liberal Democrat deal. By 11 May, however, the possibility of a deal was looking unlikely as talks between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats continued,Sony VAIO VGN-FZ17L Battery

and after concluding that he would not be able to form a government, Brown announced his resignation. He also said that he would be stepping down as leader of the Labour Party with immediate effect. Brown was succeeded as Prime Minister by David Cameron, while Harriet Harman became acting leader of the Labour Party.Sony VAIO VGN-FZ18 Battery,Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180E Battery,Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180E/B Battery,Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180EB Battery