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For others with the same or similar names, see Gordon Brown (disambiguation).
| The Right Honourable James Gordon Brown MP, MA (Hons), PhD, | |
 Speaking during an IMF/World Bank news conference in 2005. | |
| | |
|---|---|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 27 June 2007 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Tony Blair |
| | |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Clarke |
| Succeeded by | Alistair Darling |
Member of Parliament | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 June 1983 | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Majority | 18,216 (43.6%) |
| Born | 20 February 1951 Govan, Glasgow, Scotland |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Sarah Brown |
| Children | John and James Fraser |
| Residence | 10 Downing Street (official) North Queensferry (private) MacLeod, Catherine. "Brown to work from home", The Herald, Newsquest, 2007-08-14. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. |
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lecturer Journalist |
| Religion | Church of Scotland |
| Signature | 
|
James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951 in Govan, Glasgow, Scotland) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He took office on 27 June 2007, three days after becoming leader of the Labour Party. Prior to this he served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer under Tony Blair from 1997 to 2007, becoming the United Kingdom\'s longest serving Chancellor since Nicholas Vansittart in the early 19th century. He has a PhD in history from the University of Edinburgh,Kearney, Martha. "Brown seeks out \'British values\'", BBC News, BBC, 14 March 2005. Retrieved on 2008-01-23. Gordon Brown timeline. BBC News. BBC (15 June 2004). Retrieved on 2008-01-23. and, as Prime Minister, he also holds the positions of First Lord of the Treasury and the Minister for the Civil Service. He has been a Member of Parliament since 1983; firstly for Dunfermline East and since 2005 for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath."Brown is UK\'s new prime minister", BBC News, BBC, 27 June 2007. Retrieved on 2008-01-23. Gordon Brown. BBC News. BBC (19 November 2007). Retrieved on 2008-01-23.
Gordon Brown was born in Govan, Glasgow, Scotland,"From education to politics: always top of the class", The Dundee Courier, 2007-06-27. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. FAMOUS FOLK, Kirkcaldy Civic Society although media"Family detective", The Telegraph, 2007-04-28. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. "What can we expect from a Brown premiership?", ITV News, 2007-06-27. Retrieved on 2007-07-06. have occasionally given his place of birth as Giffnock, Renfrewshire, where his parents were living at the time.
His father, John Ebenezer Brown, was a strong influence on Brown and died aged 84."Chancellor\'s daughter remembered at christening service", Scotsman.com, 2004-04-23. Retrieved on 2007-09-23. His mother Elizabeth, known as Bunty, died in 2004 aged 86."Brown mourns loss of mother", Scotsman.com, 2004-09-20. Retrieved on 2007-09-23. Gordon was brought up with his brothers John and Andrew Brown in a manse in Kirkcaldy—the largest town in Fife, Scotland across the Firth of Forth from Edinburgh."From a Scottish manse to Number 10", The Washington Times, 2007-07-14. Retrieved on 2007-09-23. 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"Chancellor on the ropes; Profile: Gordon Brown", The Independent (London), 2000-09-23. Retrieved on 2007-09-23. 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. At age 16 he wrote that he loathed and resented this "ludicrous" experiment on young lives.Ben Macintyre. "‘Cruel’ experiment that left its mark on a very precocious boy", The Times, May 19, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
He was accepted by the University of Edinburgh to study history at the age of only 16. He suffered a retinal detachment after being kicked in the head during an end-of-term rugby union match at his old school. He was left blind in his left eye, despite treatment including several operations and lying in a darkened room for weeks at a time. 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.Mackenzie, Suzie. "Will he? Won\'t he?", The Guardian, Guardian Media Group, 2004-09-25. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. Brown graduated from Edinburgh with First Class Honours MA in 1972,"Biography of the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury". Retrieved on September 23, 2007. and stayed on to complete his PhD (which he gained in 1982), titled The Labour Party and Political Change in Scotland 1918-29.Iain MacLean, Alistair MacMillan. "State of the Union: Unionism and the Alternatives in the United Kingdom", Oxford University Press, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
In 1972, while still a student and with strong connections with the previous Dean of Admissions, Brown was elected RectorBrown\'s first taste of power BBC News 15 July 2005 of the University of Edinburgh, the convener of the University Court. Brown served as Rector until 1975, and he also edited The Red Paper on Scotland.About The Red Paper on Scotland Red Paper on Scotland website. From 1976 to 1980 he was employed as a lecturer in Politics at Glasgow College of Technology - in the 1979 general election, Brown stood for the Edinburgh South constituency and lost 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\'s Journey from Reformism to Neoliberalism" John Newsinger International Socialism 115 (summer 2007)
Gordon Brown was elected to Parliament on his second attempt as a Labour MP for Dunfermline East in 1983 general election and became 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 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, 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.Wright, Kenyon (1999-04-04). Scotland can sing a new song to a different tune and in a clear voice. Sunday Herald. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. “... the Claim of Right of Scotland. I have it before me now as I write - a note of sadness as I see that the first two signatures, side by side, are those of the late John Smith MP and myself, a note of gratified surprise to see these closely followed by the autographs of Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, George Robertson, Donald Dewar, Malcolm Bruce, Jim Wallace and, more important, an impressive cross-section of Scotland\'s civil society.”
After the sudden death of Labour leader John Smith in May 1994, Brown was tipped as a potential party leader,Webster, Philip. "Friends Blair and Brown face a difficult decision; Death of John Smith", The Times, 1994-05-13. Retrieved on 2007-03-26. "As probably the two most powerful figures in the party, they have the agonising task of deciding whether they should at last become rivals and vie for the crown, or whether one should stand aside for the other to become the centre candidate to succeed Mr Smith." but did not contest the leadership after Tony Blair became favourite. It has long been rumoured a deal was struck between Blair and Brown at the former Granita restaurant in Islington,White, Michael. "The guarantee which came to dominate new Labour politics for a decade", The Guardian, Guardian Media Group, 2003-06-06. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. in which Blair promised to give Brown control of economic policy in return for Brown not standing against him in the leadership election. Mayer, Catherine. "Fight Club", Time, 2005-01-16. Retrieved on 2008-03-01. 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.Wheeler, Brian. "The Tony Blair story", BBC News, BBC, 2007-05-10. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
As Shadow Chancellor, Brown worked to present himself as a fiscally competent Chancellor-in-waiting, to reassure business and the middle class that Labour could be trusted to run the economy without fuelling inflation, increasing unemployment, or overspending—legacies of the 1970s. He publicly committed Labour to following the Conservatives\' spending plans for the first two years after taking power.Short, Claire (2003-10-27). "On the edge of a volcano". New Statesman. Retrieved on 2007-03-30. Labour Party Manifesto, General Election 1997. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
Following a reorganisation of parliamentary constituencies in Scotland, Brown became MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath at the 2005 election.The Guardian 2005 election results for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
Gordon Brown speaking at the annual World Bank/IMF meeting in 2002
Brown\'s ten years and two months as Chancellor of the Exchequer made him the longest-serving Chancellor in modern history.
The Prime Minister\'s website singles out three achievements in particular from Brown\'s decade as Chancellor: presiding over "the longest ever period of growth", making the Bank of England independent and delivering an agreement on poverty and climate change at the G8 summit in 2005.
In October 2004 Tony Blair announced he would not lead the party into a fourth general election, but would serve a full third term.Marr, Andrew (interviewer). (2004). BBC Interview [Television]. London: BBC News. Political controversy 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. The two campaigned together but the British media remained—and remains—full of reports on their mutual acrimony.
Blair, under pressure from within his own party, announced on 7 September 2006 that he would step down within a year.Cowell, Alan. "Blair to Give Up Post as Premier Within One Year", The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 2006-09-08. Retrieved on 2007-07-10. Brown was the clear favourite to succeed Blair for several years with experts and the bookmakers; 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.
Brown is the first prime minister from a Scottish constituency since the Conservative/SUP Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1964. He is also one of only four prime ministers who attended a university other than Oxford or Cambridge, along with the Earl of Bute (Leiden), Lord John Russell (Edinburgh) and Neville Chamberlain (Mason Science College, later Birmingham).Are you Statistically Prepared to Become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?. BBC - h2g2. BBC (2005-08-01). Retrieved on 2007-03-30. Many Prime Ministers were not university-educated at all, including the Duke of Wellington, Benjamin Disraeli, David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, James Callaghan and John Major.
On 9 September 2006 Charles Clarke said in an interview that the Chancellor had "psychological" issues he must confront and accused him of being a "control freak" and "totally uncollegiate". Brown was also "deluded", Clarke said, to think Blair can and should anoint him as his successor now.Sylvester, Rachel; Alice Thomson and Toby Helm. "Clarke attack on Brown \'the deluded control freak\'", The Daily Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group Limited, 2006-09-09. Retrieved on 2007-03-30. Environment Secretary David Miliband stressed his support for Brown. Bright, Martin. "It must be Gordon, Gordon, Gordon", New Statesman, New Stickman, 2006-09-11. Retrieved on 2007-03-30.
From January 2007 the media reported Brown had now "dropped any pretence of not wanting, or expecting, to move into Number 10 in the next few months"—although he and his family will likely use the more spacious 11 Downing Street.Temko, Ned. "Brown invokes JFK as No 10 beckons", The Observer, Guardian News and Media Limited, 2007-01-14. Retrieved on 2007-03-30. 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 the war on terror as key priorities.Fabian Society (2007-01-15). "Make education our national mission". Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
In March 2007 Brown\'s character was attacked by Lord Turnbull who worked for Brown as Permanent Secretary at the Treasury from 1998 to 2002. Turnbull accused Brown of running the Treasury with "Stalinist ruthlessness" and treating Cabinet colleagues with "more or less complete contempt".Naughton, Philippe. "Brown hit by \'Stalinist\' attack on Budget eve", The Times, Times Newspapers Limited, 2007-03-20. Retrieved on 2007-03-30. This was especially picked-up on by the British media as the comments were made on the eve of Brown\'s budget report.
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Brown ceased to be Chancellor and, upon the approval of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 27 June 2007. Like all modern Prime Ministers, Brown concurrently serves as the First Lord of the Treasury and the Minister for the Civil Service, and is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and, hence, also a Privy Counsellor. He is also Leader of the Labour Party and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. He is the sixth of the twelve post-war Prime Ministers to be appointed to the role without having won a general election.O\'Connor, John Kennedy. "Brown\'s Ascendency" ABC Radio National Perspective. June 25, 2007. http://www.abc.net.au/rn/perspective/stories/2007/1960948.htm Gordon Brown is an Honorary Member of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.
Brown has 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 wants Parliament to gain the right to ratify treaties and have more oversight into the intelligence services. He has 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 has 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."The king is dead", \'The Economist\', 2007-07-05.
During his Labour leadership campaign, Brown proposed some policy initiatives, suggesting that a Brown-led government would introduce the following:"Gordon’s manifesto for change", \'The Times\', 2007-05-13. "Poll surge as Brown unveils policy blitz", \'The Observer\', 2007-05-13.
Gordon Brown touring the slums of Nairobi, Kenya in 2005
Brown remains 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.Jones, George. "The subtle shift in British foreign policy", Telegraph.co.uk, 2007-06-12. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
In a speech given to the Labour Friends of Israel in April 2007, Brown stated:
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—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, 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.Jonny Paul: Background: New British PM will likely be friend to Israel, Jerusalem Post, June 27, 2007
Brown with American President George W. Bush
There has been 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."The subtle shift in British foreign policy", BBC. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. : "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."
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"Brown flies out to meet Merkel and will see Bush later", The Guardian. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. : "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;"Speech not critical of US - Brown", BBC. Retrieved on 2007-07-14. "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 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. I will continue to work, as Tony Blair did, very closely with the American administration."
Brown\'s early girlfriends included the journalist Sheena McDonald, Marion CalderThe Gordon Brown Story BBC News and Princess Margarita, the eldest daughter of exiled King Michael of Romania. She has said about their relationship: "It was a very solid and romantic story. I never stopped loving him but one day it didn\'t seem right any more, it was politics, politics, politics, and I needed nurturing." Gordon Brown profiled, The Guardian, March 6, 2001
Brown married Sarah Macaulay in a private ceremony at his home in North Queensferry, Fife, on 3 August 2000.BBC News. Retrieved on September 23, 2007. On 28 December 2001, a daughter, Jennifer Jane, was born prematurely and died on 8 January 2002. Gordon Brown commented at the time that their recent experiences had changed him and his wife:
I don\'t think we\'ll be the same again, but it has made us think of what\'s important. It has made us think that you\'ve got to use your time properly. It\'s made us more determined. Things that we feel are right we have got to achieve, we have got to do that. Jennifer is an inspiration to us. Losing baby has changed us forever, says Brown, The Telegraph 6 February 2002 Accessed 10 June 2007
They have two children, John and James Fraser. In November 2006, James Fraser was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis."BBC NEWS. Retrieved on September 23, 2007.
Sarah Brown, unlike Cherie Blair, rarely appears at public events with her husband and until recently even missed his Budget speeches. She intends to remain out of the limelight as much as possible but accepts that her life will change as she moves into 10 Downing Street. She has never given a magazine or television interview and even inundated with requests now, she is unlikely to do so. Wife will seek to stay out of the limelight, The Telegraph, 12 May 2007 Accessed 10 June 2007
Gordon Brown does not possess a driving licence.Steiner, Rupert. "Stephen Byers - Prufrock", The Sunday Times, 24 June 2001. "Let\'s start with Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer, who spends much of his time calculating how to spend the billions raised from road tax … er, no, he does not have a driving licence either."
Of his two brothers, John Brown is Head of Public Relations in the Glasgow City Council.Mackay, Neil. "this woman could save you #40m", The Sunday Herald, February 20, 2000. His brother Andrew Brown has been Head of Media Relations in the UK for the French-owned utility company EDF Energy since 2004. He was previously director of media strategy at the world\'s largest public relations firm Weber Shandwick from June 2003 to 2004. Previously he was editor of the Channel 4 political programme Powerhouse from 1996 to 2003, and worked at the BBC from the late 1970s to early 1980s. Andrew Brown to head media team at EDF Energy, EDF Energy, September 13, 2004
Gordon Brown was criticised after the Treasury admitted he had not kept his promise to switch to a more environmentally friendly ministerial car."Brown accused of going back on green pledge", The Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-07-18. Brown\'s aides briefed the media that he was preparing to exchange his existing car for a Japanese made Toyota Prius, a hybrid car with relatively high fuel efficiency. Brown has instead chosen a British made 4.2 litre Jaguar XJ V8 which falls into the government\'s worst emissions band."Shoppers ‘green’ Gordon Brown’s Jag", New Consumer. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
