King Charles III
85-546: Gordon Brown formed the Brown ministry after being invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new government following the resignation of the previous prime minister of the United Kingdom , Tony Blair , on 27 June 2007. Brown formed his government over the course of the next day, with Jacqui Smith being appointed the United Kingdom's first female home secretary . Following the 2010 general election , which resulted in
170-590: A No vote, Brown was subsequently a key participant in the Scottish Constitutional Convention , signing the Claim of Right for Scotland in 1989. Labour leader John Smith died suddenly in May 1994. Brown did not contest the leadership after Tony Blair became the favourite to win the 1994 leadership election , deciding to make way for Blair to avoid splitting the pro-modernising vote in
255-411: A bank rescue package worth around £500 billion (approximately $ 850 billion), a temporary 2.5 percentage point cut in value-added tax and a "car scrappage" scheme. 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
340-610: A hung parliament , the government briefly remained in an acting capacity while negotiations to form a new government took place. After talks between the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats broke down and a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition looked imminent, Brown resigned as prime minister on 11 May 2010. In comparison with Tony Blair 's last Cabinet, Brown retained seventeen ministers including himself. Alistair Darling replaced Brown as Chancellor of
425-464: A new bill extending the 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 nine votes. 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
510-533: A cost of £3bn a year, I can now return income tax to just two rates by removing the 10p band on non-savings income". Brown also implemented the Windfall Tax in 1997 on the privatised utilities. The tax produced an estimated one-off income to the government of £5 billion, which was used to fund the New Deal for Young People, a welfare-to-work program that sought to tackle long-term unemployment. According to
595-869: 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 the Brown Bottom or Brown's Bottom. The official reason for selling the gold reserves was to reduce the portfolio risk of the UK's reserves by diversifying away from gold. 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. By 2011, that quantity of gold would be worth over $ 19 billion, leading to Brown's decision to sell
680-497: A leadership contest. A BBC report states that the decisive nomination was made by Tony Wright with MacKinlay yet to nominate at that point. Brown replaced Blair as Leader of the Labour Party on 24 June 2007. After Blair tendered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II , Brown was invited by the queen to form a government and become Prime Minister on 27 June 2007. In his first speech as prime minister, Brown said "This will be
765-574: A message to young people—this is not acceptable". 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". 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
850-534: A new government with new priorities and I have been privileged to have been granted the great opportunity to serve my country. And at all times I will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action, in the service of what matters to the British people, meeting the concerns and aspirations of our whole country." Brown rescinded some of the policies which had been introduced or were planned by Blair's administration. He remained committed to close ties with
935-680: A prominent role in the campaign to maintain the union during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum , and in 2022 wrote a report on devolution for Labour leader Keir Starmer . Brown has served as the UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Ambassador for Global Health Financing for the World Health Organization . Brown was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour by King Charles III in
SECTION 10
#17327766137461020-466: A reduced majority and reduced vote share. Blair announced on 7 September 2006 that he would step down within a year. 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
1105-552: A return to Cabinet after nine years as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal and was given the additional brief of Minister for Women and Equality. It was believed that the Government Equalities Office would become its own department headed by an Equalities Secretary; however, it was not given Secretary of State status. The previous home of the Equalities Office and of Ruth Kelly was
1190-510: A statesman with a vision for leadership and global change . 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'), renewing Britishness, restoring trust in politics, and winning hearts and minds in
1275-541: A third questioned his chances of holding on to the Labour Party leadership. 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. In the autumn, Siobhain McDonagh , an MP and junior government whip, who during her time in office had never voted against
1360-816: Is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom . The position is currently held by Nick Thomas-Symonds of the Labour Party . The post was created in 1836 by the merger of the positions of the offices of the Paymaster of the Forces (1661–1836), the Treasurer of the Navy (1546–1835), the Paymaster and Treasurer of Chelsea Hospital (responsible for Army pensions ) (1681–1835) and
1445-607: Is collected, 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. 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 , and in his last budget as Chancellor, Brown gave an extra £3 billion in pension allowances, an increase in
1530-652: Is horrible". Nonetheless, in November 2007 Brown was accused by some senior military figures of not adhering to the Military Covenant , a convention within British politics ensuring adequate safeguards, rewards and compensation for military personnel who risk their lives in obedience to orders derived from the policy of the elected government. Brown did not attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics on 8 August 2008 in Beijing ; instead, he attended
1615-650: The 2024 Birthday Honours for public and charitable services in the UK and abroad. As chancellor, Brown had high approval ratings and a poll of political scientists rated him the most successful chancellor in terms of economic stability, working independently from the prime minister and leaving a lasting legacy on the British economy . His premiership has been viewed less favourably; although public opinion of Brown has improved since he left office, his premiership has been viewed as average in historical rankings and public opinion of British prime ministers. James Gordon Brown
1700-617: The Bank of England , extension of powers of the Treasury to cover much domestic policy and transferring banking supervision to the Financial Services Authority . Brown presided over the longest period of economic growth in British history. He outlined five economic tests , which resisted the UK adopting the euro . Controversial moves included the abolition of advance corporation tax (ACT) relief in his first budget,
1785-553: 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 the 2007–2008 financial crisis . During the 1997 election campaign and subsequently, Brown pledged not to increase the basic or higher rates of income tax . Over his Chancellorship he reduced
SECTION 20
#17327766137461870-771: The Firth of Forth from Edinburgh – when Gordon was three. Brown was brought up there with his elder brother John and younger brother Andrew in a manse ; he is therefore often referred to as a "son of the manse", an idiomatic Scottish phrase, similar to the American phrase " preacher's kid ". 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. Aged 16, he wrote that he loathed and resented this "ludicrous" experiment on young lives. He
1955-566: The Iraq War , but said in a speech in June 2007 that he would "learn the lessons" from the mistakes made in Iraq. Brown said in a letter published on 17 March 2008 that the United Kingdom would hold an inquiry into the war . 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 quote, "War
2040-471: The OECD , UK taxation increased from a 39.3% share of gross domestic product in 1997 to 42.4% in 2006, going to a higher level than that of Germany. 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
2125-600: The Treasurer of the Ordnance (1670–1835). Initially, the Paymaster General only had responsibilities in relation to the armed services but in 1848 two more offices were merged into that of Paymaster General: the Paymaster of Exchequer Bills (1723–1848) and the Paymaster of the Civil Service (1834–1848), the latter followed by its Irish counterpart in 1861. They thus became 'the principal paying agent of
2210-524: The United States : "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. 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,
2295-554: The general election . In the 1997 general election , Labour defeated the Conservatives by a landslide to end their 18-year exile from government, and when Tony Blair , the new Prime Minister, announced his ministerial team on 2 May 1997, he appointed Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer . Brown would remain in this role for 10 years and two months, making him the longest-serving Chancellor in modern history. Some achievements from Brown's decade as chancellor included making
2380-544: The manifesto for change . The manifesto included a clampdown on corruption and a new Ministerial Code , which set out clear standards of behaviour for ministers. He also stated in a speech when announcing his bid that he wanted 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. Brown said he would give Parliament
2465-435: 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 Brown had "made up his mind" to reclassify cannabis despite evidence to the contrary. 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
2550-589: The Bank of England independent and delivering an agreement on poverty and climate change at the G8 summit in 2005. On taking office as chancellor, 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 . At the same time, he also changed the inflation measure from the Retail Price Index to
2635-530: The Cabinet's composition was the removal of the Minister for Social Exclusion and the Minister of State for Trade . Key: Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Tony Blair from 1997 to 2007. He
Brown ministry - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-651: The Communities Secretary, a post which was given to Hazel Blears , whose previous role as Minister without Portfolio was not given due to Harman's (the new party chair) full inclusion in Cabinet. Harman's strongest competitor for the deputy leadership, Alan Johnson , became the Health Secretary while his previous role as Education Secretary was split into a Schools Secretary and a Universities Secretary and respectively given to Ed Balls and John Denham . Former Commons Chief Whip Jacqui Smith
2805-529: The Conservatives (led by David Cameron ) in the polls. Disputes over political donations, a string of losses in local elections, and by-election losses in Crewe and Glasgow did himself and the government no favours either. Brown has since claimed that Labour would have won the 2007 election but he did not believe an early election was in the national interest. His political opponents accused him of being indecisive, which Brown denied. In July 2008, he supported
2890-454: The Conservatives formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats , Brown was succeeded as prime minister by Conservative leader David Cameron , and as Labour leader by Ed Miliband . After leaving office, Brown returned to the backbenches , continuing to serve as MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath until he gave up his seat in 2015. He has since made occasional political interventions, and published political-themed books. Brown played
2975-637: The Exchequer while his portfolio at Trade and Industry was renamed Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and given to John Hutton . Hutton was in turn replaced as Work Secretary by Peter Hain , who continued as Wales Secretary but not as Northern Ireland Secretary, a post that went to Shaun Woodward . David Miliband was promoted from Environment Secretary to Foreign Secretary and was replaced in that brief by Hilary Benn , then International Development Secretary. Douglas Alexander filled Benn's seat whilst his posts as Transport and Scotland Secretaries were given to Ruth Kelly and Des Browne , respectively,
3060-534: The Labour Party's annual conference in September, which caused controversy as he coupled this with a commitment to crack down on migrant workers. The Conservative Party, led by David Cameron , promptly pointed out that such a commitment was illegal under EU law. Other controversial statements made by Brown about migration included him stating that English lessons and taking mandatory community service should be prerequisites for being granted UK citizenship. During
3145-663: The Office of the Paymaster General would be incorporated into a new body, the Government Banking Service , which also provides banking operations for HM Revenue & Customs and National Savings and Investments . Following the Bank of England's decision to withdraw from providing retail banking services, retail banking and payment services for the GBS are provided by a range of financial institutions including Barclays , Citibank , NatWest , and Worldpay , although
3230-497: The Paymaster General is usually a minister without portfolio available for any duties which the government of the day may designate. The post may be combined with another office, or may be left unfilled. Though the Paymaster General was titular head of the Paymaster General's Office, their executive functions were delegated to the Assistant Paymaster General, a permanent civil servant who (though acting in
3315-608: The Queen's Speech to Parliament on 3 December 2008, the Brown government unveiled plans to introduce lie detector tests, based on voice recognition technology, in order to determine whether to accept benefit claims. Despite having spent £2.4 million on these tests, trials performed by the Department for Work and Pensions showed that they were inaccurate approximately four of every seven times they were used. Brown had been committed to
3400-672: The United Kingdom to adopt the European single currency. The Treasury indicated that the tests had not been passed in June 2003. 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". Lord Jenkins , then Oxford Chancellor and himself
3485-573: The United States and to the war in Iraq , although he established an inquiry into the reasons for Britain's participation in the conflict . Brown's government introduced rescue packages to keep banks afloat during the 2007–2008 financial crisis , and so national debt increased. The government took majority shareholdings in Northern Rock and Royal Bank of Scotland , which had experienced severe financial difficulties, and injected public money into other banks. In 2008, Brown's government passed
Brown ministry - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-438: The United States and to the war in Iraq, although he established an inquiry into the reasons for Britain's participation in the conflict . He proposed a "government of all the talents" which would involve co-opting leading personalities from industry and professional occupations into government positions. Brown also appointed Jacqui Smith as the UK's first female Home Secretary , while Brown's former position as chancellor of
3655-424: The University of Edinburgh, Brown was involved in a romantic relationship with Margarita, Crown Princess of Romania . Margarita said about it: "It was a very solid and romantic story. I never stopped loving him but one day it didn't seem right anymore, it was politics, politics, politics, and I needed nurturing." An unnamed friend of those years is quoted by Paul Routledge in his biography of Brown as recalling: "She
3740-461: The basic rate from 22% to 20%, increasing tax for 5 million people and, according to the calculations of the Institute for Fiscal Studies , leaving those earning between £5,000 and £18,000 as the biggest losers. To backbench cheers, Brown had described the measure in his last Budget thus: "Having put in place more focused ways of incentivising work and directly supporting children and pensioners at
3825-424: The basic rate from 23% to 20%; however, in all budgets but his final one, he increased the tax thresholds in line with inflation rather than with earnings, resulting in fiscal drag . Under Brown, corporation tax fell from a main rate of 33% to 28%, and from 24% to 19% for small businesses . In 1999, he introduced a lower income tax band of 10% . He abolished this 10% tax band in his last budget in 2007 to reduce
3910-464: The child tax credit, and an increase in the working tax credit. These increases were followed by another £1 billion of support for increases in the child tax credit. Under Brown, the tax code, the standard guide to tax, doubled in length to 17,000 pages. In October 1997, Brown announced that the Treasury would set five economic tests to determine whether the economic case had been made for
3995-484: The closing ceremony 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, but rather was made several weeks in advance and not intended as a stand on principle. In a speech in July 2007, Brown clarified his position regarding Britain's relationship with
4080-638: The dignity of the individual. I will continue to work, as Tony Blair did, very closely with the American administration." Brown and the Labour party had pledged to allow a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty . On 13 December 2007, Foreign Secretary David Miliband attended for the Prime Minister at the official signing ceremony in Lisbon . Brown's opponents on both sides of the House, and in
4165-573: The document to be too complex to be decided by referendum. 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 . After Professor David Nutt , the chair of
4250-404: 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 per cent pay rise in 2006. On 5 June 2007, just three weeks before he was due to take the post of Prime Minister, Brown made a speech promising "British Jobs for British workers". Brown reiterated that promise at
4335-445: The exchequer was taken over by Alistair Darling . He 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 of the intelligence services. He also proposed moving some powers from Parliament to citizens, including
SECTION 50
#17327766137464420-505: The face of the challenge that emerged in September, as did Business Secretary John Hutton , Environment Secretary Hilary Benn , and Chief Whip Geoff Hoon . On 4 June 2009 James Purnell resigned from the Cabinet , and called for Brown's resignation as prime minister. 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
4505-399: The final say on whether British troops were sent into action in future. He 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 homeowners – up to 100,000 new homes in total. Brown also said he wanted to have doctors' surgeries open at the weekends, and GPs on call in
4590-686: 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". Paymaster General [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General
4675-419: The gold being widely criticised. As of August 2024 the gold prize is approximately £1,905 per ounce, which would value the reserves sold at £26.5 billion. As Chancellor, Brown argued against renationalising the railways , saying at the Labour conference in 2004 that it would cost £22 billion. During his time as Chancellor, Brown reportedly believed that it was appropriate to remove most, but not all, of
4760-665: The government and the banker for all government departments except the revenue departments and the National Debt Office'. From 1848 to 1868, the post was held concurrently with that of Vice-President of the Board of Trade . The longest-serving holder of the post was Dawn Primarolo , whose portfolio covered HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue (which during her tenure became merged as HM Revenue and Customs ) and who served from 1999 to 2007. Today,
4845-410: The government, spoke of the need for discussion over Brown's position. While she did not state that she wanted Brown deposed, she implored the Labour Party to hold a leadership election. McDonagh was sacked from her role shortly afterward, on 12 September. She was supported in making clear her desire for a contest by Joan Ryan (who applied, as McDonagh had, for leadership nomination papers, and became
4930-443: The latter of whom stayed on as Defence Secretary. Jack Straw became the first MP Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, declaring it a new Great Office of State . Amid speculation that Brown would appoint him as deputy prime minister and/or First Secretary of State , neither title was conferred on any member. The other name that cropped up for the two roles was the new Labour Party Chair and Deputy Leader, Harriet Harman , who made
5015-595: The leadership ballot. 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. Whether this is true or not, the relationship between Blair and Brown was central to the fortunes of New Labour , and they mostly remained united in public, despite reported serious private rifts. As Shadow Chancellor , Brown as Chancellor-in-waiting
5100-718: The name of the Paymaster General) was answerable to the Chancellor of the Exchequer . The Paymaster General was formerly in nominal charge (and at one time in actual charge) of the Office of HM Paymaster General ( OPG ), which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of government departments and selected other public bodies. Funds which were made available from the Consolidated Fund were then channelled into OPG accounts, from where they were used by
5185-447: The party launched the Not flash, just Gordon advertising campaign, which was seen largely as pre-election promotion of Brown as Prime Minister; however, Brown announced on 6 October that there would be no election any time soon – despite opinion polls showing that he was capable of winning an election should he call one. This proved to be a costly mistake, as during 2008 his party slid behind
SECTION 60
#17327766137465270-521: The party, said that Brown was the "solution", not the "problem"; Home Secretary Smith, Justice Secretary Jack Straw , Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband all re-affirmed their support for Brown. 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
5355-546: 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 the British public a referendum on the original EU Constitution . 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
5440-459: The relevant body. OPG operated a full range of accounts and banking transaction services, including cheque and credit, BACS and CHAPS services for its customers via an electronic banking system. Integration of OPG accounts held with commercial banks was provided by the private company Xafinity Paymaster which is now part of the Equiniti group. However, in 2008, the government announced that
5525-400: 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. There was speculation during September and early October 2007 about whether Brown would call a snap general election . Indeed,
5610-429: The sale of UK gold reserves from 1999 to 2002 , and the removal in his final budget of the 10% starting rate of income tax which he had introduced in the 1999 budget . Following Blair's resignation in 2007, Brown was elected unopposed to succeed him as prime minister and party leader. The party continued as New Labour, though Brown's style of government differed from Blair's. He remained committed to close ties with
5695-625: The same symptoms in his right eye. Brown underwent experimental surgery at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and his right eye was saved by a young eye surgeon, Hector Chawla. Brown graduated from Edinburgh with an undergraduate MA degree with First-Class Honours in history in 1972. He stayed on to obtain his PhD degree in history, which he gained ten years later in 1982, defending a thesis titled The Labour Party and Political Change in Scotland 1918–1929 . In his youth at
5780-478: 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. 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. After Labour lost the Glasgow East by-election in July, Harman, the deputy leader of
5865-420: The unpayable Third World debt . On 20 April 2006, in a speech to the United Nations Ambassadors, Brown outlined a " Green " view of global development. In October 2004, Blair announced he would not lead the party into a fourth general election, but would serve a full third term. Political comment over the relationship between Brown and Blair continued up to and beyond the 2005 election , which Labour won with
5950-399: The war on terror as key priorities. On 11 May 2007, after months of speculation, Brown formally announced his bid for the Labour leadership. He launched his campaign website the same day as formally announcing his bid for leadership, titled "Gordon Brown for Britain". On 16 May, Channel 4 News announced that Andrew MacKinlay had nominated Brown, giving him 308 nominations—enough to avoid
6035-420: The world's first Climate Change Act , and introduced the Equality Act 2010 . Despite poll rises just after Brown became prime minister, after he failed to call a snap election in 2007, his popularity fell and Labour's popularity declined with the Great Recession . Labour lost 91 seats in the 2010 general election , resulting in a hung parliament in which the Conservative Party won the most seats. After
6120-577: Was Lord Grocott , who stayed on as Chief Whip in the Lords and Captain of the Gentlemen at Arms . Balls' wife, Yvette Cooper , was given the right to attend Cabinet in her role as Housing Minister as was David Miliband 's brother, Ed Miliband , who became Cabinet Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Beverley Hughes retained her role as Children Minister and was elevated to Cabinet, but
6205-572: Was Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline East from 1983 to 2005, and Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath from 2005 to 2015. A doctoral graduate , Brown studied history at the University of Edinburgh . He spent his early career as a lecturer at a further education college and television journalist. Brown was elected to the House of Commons at the 1983 general election as the MP for Dunfermline East. He
6290-643: 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 following Labour's fourth consecutive defeat in the general election that year. Having led the Labour Movement Yes campaign, 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
6375-405: 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 experienced a retinal detachment . 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
6460-428: Was appointed to Neil Kinnock 's shadow cabinet in 1989 and was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer by John Smith in 1992. Following Labour's victory in the 1997 general election , Brown was appointed as Chancellor, becoming the longest-serving in modern history. Brown's time as chancellor was marked by major reform of Britain's monetary and fiscal policy architecture, transferring interest rate setting to
6545-658: Was born at the Orchard Maternity Nursing Home in Giffnock , Renfrewshire , Scotland. His father was John Ebenezer Brown (1914–1998), a minister of the Church of Scotland and a strong influence on Brown. His mother was Jessie Elizabeth "Bunty" Brown ( née Souter; 1918–2004); she was the daughter of John Souter, a timber merchant. The family moved to Kirkcaldy – then the largest town in Fife , across
6630-565: Was elected to Parliament as a Labour MP at his second attempt, for Dunfermline East in the 1983 general election . His first Westminster office mate was a newly elected MP from the Sedgefield constituency, Tony Blair . Brown became an opposition spokesman on Trade and Industry in 1985. In 1986, he published a biography of the Independent Labour Party politician James Maxton , the subject of his doctoral thesis. Brown
6715-617: Was employed as a lecturer in politics at Glasgow College of Technology . He also worked as a tutor for the Open University . In the 1979 general election , Brown stood for the Edinburgh South constituency, losing to the Conservative candidate, Michael Ancram . From 1980, he worked as a journalist at Scottish Television , later serving as current affairs editor until his election to Parliament in 1983. Brown
6800-608: Was given a substantial promotion as the first female Home Secretary and was replaced by Geoff Hoon , who was promoted from being the Europe Minister . His successor, Jim Murphy , was not given a provision to attend Cabinet as he was. Tessa Jowell lost her place at the table when James Purnell became Culture Secretary but was given the right to attend Cabinet as the Olympics Minister and also became Paymaster General . The last holdover from Blair's government
6885-462: Was interpreted by a large number in the media as an attempt to undermine Brown. 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 . Miliband continued to show his support for Brown in
6970-589: Was mentioned by the press in the expenses crisis for claiming for the payment of his cleaner; 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. During his Labour leadership campaign Brown proposed some policy initiatives, which he called
7055-479: Was only allowed to sit in that body when her policy area was on the agenda. Additionally, Baroness Ashton of Upholland and Andy Burnham entered Cabinet as Lords Leader and Lord President of the Council and Chief Secretary to the Treasury . Baroness Scotland of Asthal and Lord Malloch-Brown were given the right to attend Cabinet as Attorney General and Africa, Asia and UN Minister. The last alteration to
7140-575: Was seen as a good choice by business and the middle class. During his tenure as Chancellor, the rate of inflation sometimes exceeded the 2% target; the Governor of the Bank of England , under the rules governing the Bank's role, wrote an explanatory letter to the Chancellor on each occasion inflation exceeded three per cent. Following a reorganisation of Westminster constituencies in Scotland in 2005, Brown became MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath at
7225-475: Was sweet and gentle and obviously cut out to make somebody a very good wife. She was bright, too, though not like him, but they seemed made for each other." In 1972, while still a student, Brown was elected Rector of the University of Edinburgh , the convener of the University Court . He served as Rector until 1975, and also edited the document The Red Paper on Scotland . From 1976 to 1980 Brown
#745254