Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown (born 20th February 1951) is the current prime minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the governing Labour Party. He is also a Member of Parliament for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in his native Scotland, and holds a PhD in politics from the University of Edinburgh.[1]
Brown succeeded his political rival Tony Blair as prime minister unopposed in June 2007;[2] much was made of the differences between the two men, though Brown remains a supporter of the centre-left 'New' Labour ideology in which socialism plays no part. He is said to be slightly more left-wing than Blair,[3] and slightly cooler towards the 'special relationship' between the UK and the USA.[4] However, the two shared a similar outlook over the Iraq War, a conflict Brown supported, and on a more practical level, he has pledged to continue his predecessor's commitment to addressing climate change and international terrorism.[5]
Prior to taking office as premier, Brown served for ten years as the UK's finance minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, holding no other office and remaining in the post for longer than any predecessor since the nineteenth century. Those ten years since 'New' Labour was first elected in 1997 were often marked by behind-the-scenes feuding between the so-called 'Brownite' and 'Blairite' camps; in one memorable instance, an anonymous briefing declared Brown "psychologically flawed."[6] More recently, documents appeared in the mass media suggesting that Blair had intended to remove Brown from the Treasury and offer him the post of foreign minister.[7]
Footnotes
- ↑ Brown (1982).
- ↑ BBC News: 'Brown is UK's new prime minister.' 27th June 2007.
- ↑ Channel 4 News: 'Brown vs blue on going green.' 12th March 2007.
- ↑ Daily Telegraph: 'Relations will be less special, Washington fears.' 21st May 2007.
- ↑ BBC News: 'Brown pledge to cut state control.' 22nd June 2007.
- ↑ BBC News: 'Civil war that hit New Labour project.' 11th January 1999.
- ↑ Independent on Sunday: 'Revealed: Blair's secret plan to sack Gordon Brown.' 24th June 2007.
References
- Brown JG (1982) The Labour Party and political change in Scotland, 1918-1929: the politics of five elections. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh.
External links
- 10 Downing Street - official website for the UK prime minister's office
- Timeline: Blair vs Brown - details on the ups and downs of the Blair-Brown partnership, from the BBC