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Brown to quit as Labour leader | Brown to quit as Labour leader |
(10 minutes later) | |
Gordon Brown has said he is stepping down as Labour Party leader. | Gordon Brown has said he is stepping down as Labour Party leader. |
Mr Brown, prime minister since 2007, said he wanted a successor to be in place by the time of the party's conference in September. | Mr Brown, prime minister since 2007, said he wanted a successor to be in place by the time of the party's conference in September. |
Mr Brown announced his intention to quit in a statement in Downing St in which he also said his party was to start formal talks with the Lib Dems. | Mr Brown announced his intention to quit in a statement in Downing St in which he also said his party was to start formal talks with the Lib Dems. |
The Conservatives won the most seats and most votes in the election and have been in talks with the Lib Dems. | The Conservatives won the most seats and most votes in the election and have been in talks with the Lib Dems. |
Mr Brown said Britain had a "parliamentary and not presidential system" and said there was a "progressive majority" of voters. | |
Voters' judgement | |
He said if the national interest could be best served by a coalition between the Lib Dems and Labour - he said he would "discharge that duty to form that government". | |
But he added that no party had won an overall majority in the UK general election and, as Labour leader, he had to accept that as a judgement on him. | |
"I therefore intend to ask the Labour Party to set in train the processes needed for its own leadership election. | |
"I would hope that it would be completed in time for the new leader to be in post by the time of the Labour Party conference. | |
"I will play no part in that contest, I will back no individual candidate." | |
He said Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg had requested formal negotiations with Labour and it was "sensible and in the national interest" to respond positively to the request. | |
He said the Cabinet would meet soon and a "formal policy negotiation process" would be established. | |
It emerged earlier that the Lib Dem negotiating team, who have held days of talks with the Conservatives, had also met senior Labour figures in private. | It emerged earlier that the Lib Dem negotiating team, who have held days of talks with the Conservatives, had also met senior Labour figures in private. |
The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said one of the stumbling blocks to any Lib Dem-Labour deal had been Mr Brown himself. | The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said one of the stumbling blocks to any Lib Dem-Labour deal had been Mr Brown himself. |