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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Brown set to become Labour leader | Brown set to become Labour leader |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Gordon Brown is set to be confirmed as the new leader of the Labour Party at a special conference in Manchester. | Gordon Brown is set to be confirmed as the new leader of the Labour Party at a special conference in Manchester. |
| Mr Brown, 56, who was unchallenged to be leader, will be named as Tony Blair's successor at about 1500 GMT, and become prime minister on Wednesday. | |
| A new deputy leader - selected from Harriet Harman, Hilary Benn, Jon Cruddas, Peter Hain, Alan Johnson and Hazel Blears - will also be announced. | A new deputy leader - selected from Harriet Harman, Hilary Benn, Jon Cruddas, Peter Hain, Alan Johnson and Hazel Blears - will also be announced. |
| A poll for the Observer gives Labour a clear lead over the Tories. | |
| It is the first time the party has been put ahead of the Conservatives for eight months. | |
| 'Fiercely fought' | |
| Ballots for the deputy leadership closed on Friday. | |
| BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said the complex voting system had made it difficult to predict who would take over as deputy leader from John Prescott. | BBC political correspondent Robin Brant said the complex voting system had made it difficult to predict who would take over as deputy leader from John Prescott. |
| But Education Secretary Mr Johnson, International Development Secretary Mr Benn and Justice Minister Ms Harman were likely to be in contention. | |
| The votes include three million cast by trade union members | The votes include three million cast by trade union members |
| The deputy leader will not necessarily become deputy prime minister, but the political editor of the Daily Telegraph, George Jones, said the winner would be a powerful figure. | |
| "Gordon Brown has had a coronation, he's become leader, or will become leader later today, by acclimation because nobody else has stood against him. | |
| "But this has been a fiercely fought contest of these six member of the Labour Party and whoever wins it will actually have a mandate, they will have stood on a programme and Gordon Brown will have to take that into account." | |
| Victory speech | |
| The result of the deputy leadership ballot is expected to be announced at around 1415 GMT. | |
| The winner will make a victory speech before Mr Brown is declared elected unopposed as Mr Blair's successor. | |
| Mr Brown will then spell out his vision for a Labour government which could stay in office until 2010, by which time he has to call a General Election. | |
| In recent interviews he insisted he would press on with efforts to create a Cabinet "of all the talents" - despite apparent snubs from two non-Labour recruits. | |
| He also said he had learned his lesson about "top-down" government and has pledged to involve ordinary people in his decisions. | |
| He told BBC News the public needed to be fully involved if big challenges like climate change were to be tackled. | |
| Blair presence | |
| Mr Blair - who has just returned from an EU summit and a visit to the Vatican - and Mr Prescott will be in the audience at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall, but will take no part in proceedings. | |
| As the chancellor prepares for his new role, research by Ipsos/Mori in the Observer suggested Labour had surged 4% to 39% over the past month and that Conservatives had slipped a point to 36%. | |
| Liberal Democrat support fell from 18% to 15%, the poll suggested. | Liberal Democrat support fell from 18% to 15%, the poll suggested. |
| Some 1,970 UK adults were interviewed for the party share poll. | Some 1,970 UK adults were interviewed for the party share poll. |