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Gordon Brown 'to announce he will stand down as MP' | Gordon Brown 'to announce he will stand down as MP' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown will announce later that he will stand down as an MP at the next general election, the BBC understands. | Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown will announce later that he will stand down as an MP at the next general election, the BBC understands. |
The Labour MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath has been in Parliament for nearly 32 years. | The Labour MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath has been in Parliament for nearly 32 years. |
He served from 1997 to 2007 as chancellor, in Tony Blair's government. | He served from 1997 to 2007 as chancellor, in Tony Blair's government. |
Mr Brown was then prime minister from 2007 to 2010, when Labour was defeated, recording its worst general election result since 1983. | Mr Brown was then prime minister from 2007 to 2010, when Labour was defeated, recording its worst general election result since 1983. |
The 63-year-old has kept a generally low profile after leaving office, making an intervention in a debate on the phone-hacking scandal and later entering the Scottish independence campaign. | |
Charity work | Charity work |
Mr Brown, who first entered Parliament in 1983, is expected to confirm his intentions in a speech to his constituency Labour Party later on Monday. | Mr Brown, who first entered Parliament in 1983, is expected to confirm his intentions in a speech to his constituency Labour Party later on Monday. |
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said it was "not a huge surprise", with Mr Brown having been a "relatively infrequent visitor to Westminster" since the 2010 general election. | The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said it was "not a huge surprise", with Mr Brown having been a "relatively infrequent visitor to Westminster" since the 2010 general election. |
Since resigning as prime minister and Labour leader, Mr Brown has focused on charity work and his role as United Nations special envoy for global education. | Since resigning as prime minister and Labour leader, Mr Brown has focused on charity work and his role as United Nations special envoy for global education. |
He returned to the political spotlight during the latter stages of the Scottish independence referendum campaign with the result in the balance, helping to secure the vote against independence | |
A key part of his role was setting out a timetable for boosting the Scottish Parliament's powers if voters rejected independence, a timetable which was backed by the leaders of the three main pro-Union parties. | |
Supporters urged him to contest the leadership of the Scottish Labour Party but he declined, saying he did not want to return to frontline politics. | |
He held his seat with a majority of 23,000 at the last election. | He held his seat with a majority of 23,000 at the last election. |
As chancellor Mr Brown oversaw a decade of growth, made the Bank of England independent and played a key role in keeping the UK out of the euro. | |
He took over as prime minister from Mr Blair without a contest in 2007 but his premiership, which suffered when he decided at the last minute against calling a snap election that autumn, was dominated by the financial crisis and bank bailouts as the UK slipped into recession with a soaring deficit. | |
He saw off frequent rumours of challenges to his leadership by fellow Labour MPs, but his popularity never returned to the levels of his early days as PM. | |
The low point came during the 2010 election campaign, when he was recorded referring to a voter he had just spoken to in Rochdale, Gillian Duffy, as a "bigoted woman". He later went to Mrs Duffy's house in Rochdale to apologise, saying he was "mortified". | |
After the 2010 general election, he stayed on as prime minister for five days during negotiations between the parties. | After the 2010 general election, he stayed on as prime minister for five days during negotiations between the parties. |
With the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats poised to form a coalition government, he resigned as prime minister and stepped down as Labour leader, saying the job had been "a privilege". | With the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats poised to form a coalition government, he resigned as prime minister and stepped down as Labour leader, saying the job had been "a privilege". |