Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, at a Commonwealth Finance Ministers Press Conference in 2004

Gordon Brown was the principal intellectual architect of the transformation of the United Kingdom's Labour Party from a moderately socialist party into an explicitly market-oriented social democratic party. Then, as the country's longest-serving Chancellor of the Exchequer he made major changes to its system of economic and financial management, and resisted pressures to join the European Monetary Union. Subsequently, as Prime Minister, he took the lead in the international response to the financial crash of 2008 and managed the United Kingdom's recovery from the recession of 2009. After the Labour Party's defeat in the general election of 2010, he resigned from its leadership and returned to the opposition back benches as Member of Parliament for a Scottish constituency.

Parliamentary career

New Labour

Brown was elected to parliament on the second attempt in 1983, representing the safe Scottish Labour seat of Dunfermline East. He shared an office with fellow new MP, Tony Blair, who became a friend. Brown was later awarded a post in Neil Kinnock's Labour Opposition party, speaking on trade and industry matters. In 1992, Kinnock's successor as Labour leader, John Smith, made him the party's chief spokesman on financial affairs, the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. Brown would continue to hold this post under the leadership of Tony Blair, swapping the opposition brief for the actual post of Chancellor when Labour achieved a landslide election victory in 1997. Brown was an early contender to lead the Labour Party in 1994 following the sudden death of John Smith. However, he made no official moves for the leadership, and ultimately Tony Blair was elected. It has long been claimed that this was the result of a secret deal struck between the pair over a meal at the Granita restaurant in Islington, London - Brown would be given a strong role in Blair's 'New' Labour party, responsible for economic policy, in return for allowing Blair a clear run for the top post. Speculation also exists that Blair promised to step down in a future Labour second term of office, i.e. around 2003, but no-one closely involved has provided a definitive account of this. Brown emerged as a powerful Chancellor, remaining in the post until he reached the leadership in 2007.

Prime Minister 2007-2010

Brown's first months in office were marked by continuing speculation over whether he would call an early general election, both to benefit from an electorate apparently broadly supportive of his leadership, and neutralise his critics' charge that, having taken over from Tony Blair unopposed, his premiership was yet to earn a mandate from the public. Away from political speculation, Brown was forced to confront a number of difficult issues in his first 90 days as Prime Minister, while at the same time developing a range of policy proposals which he would set out at the 2007 Labour Party Conference on 25th September.

Brown's conference speech made reference to both domestic and international tests he had faced in his new office. These included the return of foot and mouth disease to the UK countryside, and the avoidance of terrorist attacks in London and Glasgow. He presented domestic proposals to create more home ownership, crack down on crime through extending stop and search powers, clean up hospitals, and suggested that permitting the serving of alcohol for 24 hours a day could be reviewed. Internationally, he pledged that British forces would remain in Afghanistan and Iraq, and also highlighted Darfur as a foreign policy priority. His reference to "British jobs for British workers" was criticised by the Conservatives, who pointed out that such a policy would contravene European Union law. They also demanded that he keep a manifesto pledge to hold a referendum on the draft EU Constitution, claiming that the new EU Treaty is that in another guise.

Personal history

James Gordon Brown was born in Govan, Glasgow and raised in Kirkcaldy, Scotland by his parents, John and Elizabeth.