143-557: Gordon Brown Labour David Cameron Conservative The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, to elect Members of Parliament (or MPs) to the House of Commons . The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom under the first-past-the-post system. The election resulted in a large swing to the opposition Conservative Party led by David Cameron similar to that seen in 1979 ,
286-716: A European Public Prosecutor , limiting the Working Time Directive , deciding the stance on the forthcoming EU budget, and pressuring the European Parliament to abolish its seat in Strasbourg and maintain only a single seat in Brussels . Agreement on civil liberties included measures to "reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion." This included:
429-569: A No vote, Brown was subsequently a key participant in the Scottish Constitutional Convention , signing the Claim of Right for Scotland in 1989. Labour leader John Smith died suddenly in May 1994. Brown did not contest the leadership after Tony Blair became the favourite to win the 1994 leadership election , deciding to make way for Blair to avoid splitting the pro-modernising vote in
572-411: A bank rescue package worth around £500 billion (approximately $ 850 billion), a temporary 2.5 percentage point cut in value-added tax and a "car scrappage" scheme. In mid-2008, Brown's leadership was presented with a challenge as some MPs openly called for him to resign. This event was dubbed the 'Lancashire Plot', as two backbenchers from (pre-1974) Lancashire urged him to step down and
715-460: A new bill extending the pre-charge detention period to 42 days . The bill was met with opposition on both sides of the House and backbench rebellion. In the end, the bill passed by just nine votes. The House of Lords defeated the bill, with Lords characterising it as "fatally flawed, ill thought through and unnecessary", stating that "it seeks to further erode fundamental legal and civil rights". Brown
858-535: A "positive participant" in the European Union , although there would be "no further transfer of sovereignty or powers over the course of the next Parliament", ensured by amendment of the 1972 European Communities Act requiring referendums on future treaties, and requiring primary legislation before any Passerelle clause could be enacted, and through examination of a possible United Kingdom sovereignty bill. Other measures include non-participation in establishment of
1001-463: A Conservative candidate because it was too late to remove his name from the ballot paper. A total of 2,378 postal voters in Bristol West were wrongly sent ballot papers for Bristol East by mistake. Bristol City Council officials asked people to tear up the wrong papers and said: "Every effort will be made to ensure delivery [of new ballot papers] by 30 April." The SNP attempted but failed to ban
1144-442: A Labour–Liberal Democrat marginal seat. She asked him about vulnerable people supposedly not receiving benefits because immigrants were receiving them, adding: "You can't say anything about the immigrants because you're saying that you're ... but all these eastern Europeans what are coming in, where are they flocking from?" Brown replied: "A million people have come from Europe but a million British people have gone into Europe." In
1287-522: A cost of £3bn a year, I can now return income tax to just two rates by removing the 10p band on non-savings income". Brown also implemented the Windfall Tax in 1997 on the privatised utilities. The tax produced an estimated one-off income to the government of £5 billion, which was used to fund the New Deal for Young People, a welfare-to-work program that sought to tackle long-term unemployment. According to
1430-624: A final agreement published on 20 May. The initial agreement was published on 12 May 2010. It consisted of a seven-page document, in 11 sections. In the foreword, it stated "These are the issues that needed to be resolved between us in order for us to work together as a strong and stable government". Of the 57 Liberal Democrat MPs, only two refused to support the Conservative Coalition agreement, with former party leader Charles Kennedy and Manchester Withington MP John Leech both rebelling against. The 11 sections were as follows: To tackle
1573-855: A former Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer, said "nearly every fact he used was false." Between 1999 and 2002 Brown sold 60% of the UK's gold reserves shortly before gold entered a protracted bull market, since nicknamed by dealers as the Brown Bottom or Brown's Bottom. The official reason for selling the gold reserves was to reduce the portfolio risk of the UK's reserves by diversifying away from gold. The UK eventually sold about 395 tons of gold over 17 auctions from July 1999 to March 2002, at an average price of about US$ 275 per ounce, raising approximately US$ 3.5 billion. By 2011, that quantity of gold would be worth over $ 19 billion, leading to Brown's decision to sell
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#17330929735741716-487: A fourth consecutive term in office, and to restore support lost since 2001. The Conservative Party sought to gain a dominant position in British politics after losses in the 1990s, and to replace Labour as the governing party. The Liberal Democrats hoped to make gains from both sides and hoped to hold the balance of power in a hung parliament. Since the televised debates between the three leaders, their poll ratings had risen to
1859-518: A general election with new leaders was in the 1979 election , when James Callaghan as Labour leader, Margaret Thatcher for the Conservatives, and David Steel with the then- Liberal Party took to the polls. The prospect of a coalition or minority government was being considered well before polling day. Gordon Brown made comments about the possibility of a coalition in January 2010. In 2009, it
2002-657: A hung parliament to return. From 15 April 2010, following the first televised debate of the party leaders, polling data changed dramatically, with the Lib Dem vote proportion rising to 28–33%, and the Conservative vote proportion falling. In some polls, the Liberal Democrats took the lead from the Conservatives. Under UNS projections, this made a hung parliament highly probable, if Lib Dem performance had persisted. Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951)
2145-491: A leadership contest. A BBC report states that the decisive nomination was made by Tony Wright with MacKinlay yet to nominate at that point. Brown replaced Blair as Leader of the Labour Party on 24 June 2007. After Blair tendered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II , Brown was invited by the queen to form a government and become Prime Minister on 27 June 2007. In his first speech as prime minister, Brown said "This will be
2288-467: A lecturer at a further education college and television journalist. Brown was elected to the House of Commons at the 1983 general election as the MP for Dunfermline East. He was appointed to Neil Kinnock 's shadow cabinet in 1989 and was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer by John Smith in 1992. Following Labour's victory in the 1997 general election , Brown was appointed as Chancellor, becoming
2431-518: A majority in the House of Commons. This was only the second general election since the Second World War to return a hung parliament, the first being the February 1974 election . This election marked the start of Conservative government for the next 14 years. For the leaders of all three major political parties, this was their first general election contest as party leader, something that had last been
2574-570: A message to young people—this is not acceptable". Professor Nutt's predecessor at the ACMD, Sir Michael Rawlins , later said, "Governments may well have good reasons for taking an alternative view ... When that happens, then the government should explain why it's ignoring the particular advice". Brown's premiership coincided with the global recession , during which Brown called for fiscal action in an attempt to stimulate aggregate demand. Domestically, Brown's administration introduced measures including
2717-479: A new government with new priorities and I have been privileged to have been granted the great opportunity to serve my country. And at all times I will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action, in the service of what matters to the British people, meeting the concerns and aspirations of our whole country." Brown rescinded some of the policies which had been introduced or were planned by Blair's administration. He remained committed to close ties with
2860-598: A new loose coalition, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), contested a general election for the first time. TUSC was a grouping of left wing parties that participated in the 2009 European Parliament elections under the name of No2EU ; members included the Socialist Workers Party , the Socialist Party , the Socialist Alliance, Socialist Resistance , and is supported by some members of UNISON ,
3003-430: A new minimum of 55% of MPs supporting a motion before Parliament could be dissolved outside this timetable. Both parties would ensure their MPs voted for the introduction of a Referendum Bill on the question of whether the electoral system for electing MPs to the House of Commons should change from first-past-the-post to alternative vote , and whether MPs constituencies should be changed in size or number. On
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#17330929735743146-506: A private conversation with his communications director Justin Forsyth following the meeting, Brown described Duffy as "just a sort of bigoted woman that said she used be Labour. I mean it's just ridiculous." Brown's remarks were inadvertently recorded by a Sky News microphone he was still wearing, and widely broadcast. Labour sources later stated that Brown had misheard Duffy and thought she had asked, "where are they fucking from?" Soon after
3289-651: A prominent role in the campaign to maintain the union during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum , and in 2022 wrote a report on devolution for Labour leader Keir Starmer . Brown has served as the UN Special Envoy for Global Education and Ambassador for Global Health Financing for the World Health Organization . Brown was appointed a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour by King Charles III in
3432-399: A range of measures would be adopted. In transport , a high speed rail network would be established, while the proposed third runway at London Heathrow Airport would be cancelled, and no new runways would be approved for London Gatwick Airport or London Stansted Airport . The legislation required for the building new nuclear power stations would proceed, without public subsidy for
3575-460: A reduced majority and reduced vote share. Blair announced on 7 September 2006 that he would step down within a year. Brown was the clear favourite to succeed Blair; 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
3718-425: A result, the first and third parties in terms of votes and seats, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats respectively, entered into negotiations with the aim of forming a full coalition, the first since the Second World War . The initial agreement was published on 12 May 2010 (dated 11 May), detailing what had been agreed in the various policy areas, in order for a coalition government to be able to be formed, with
3861-460: A rule that receipt of benefits would be conditional on willingness to work. Payments would be made to Equitable Life policy holders. A "significant" funding premium for children from poorer backgrounds will be established, incentivising schools to take them in and giving them more resources to devote to them. In schools , new providers would be allowed to enter the state schooling system where demanded, schools would be granted greater freedom over
4004-455: A statesman with a vision for leadership and global change . 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
4147-590: A third questioned his chances of holding on to the Labour Party leadership. Several MPs argued that if Brown did not recover in the polls by early 2009, he should call for a leadership contest; however, certain prominent MPs, such as Jacqui Smith and Bill Rammell , suggested that Brown was the right person to lead Britain through its economic crisis. In the autumn, Siobhain McDonagh , an MP and junior government whip, who during her time in office had never voted against
4290-554: A variety of news outlets, took attention away from the previous day's speech by Brown to Citizens UK , widely described as his best in the campaign. A Conservative Party activist in Peterborough was arrested after alleged postal voting fraud, calling into question 150 postal votes. Simon Bennett resigned as the head of the British National Party 's online operation then redirected its website to his own on which he attacked
4433-510: Is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Tony Blair from 1997 to 2007. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline East from 1983 to 2005, and Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath from 2005 to 2015. A doctoral graduate , Brown studied history at the University of Edinburgh . He spent his early career as
2010 United Kingdom general election - Misplaced Pages Continue
4576-607: Is collected, the indirect effect of which was for the dividends on stock investments held within pensions to be taxed, thus lowering pension returns and contributing to the demise of most of the final salary pension funds in the UK. Brown's 2000 Spending Review outlined a major expansion of government spending , particularly on health and education. In his April 2002 budget, Brown increased National Insurance to pay for health spending. He also introduced working tax credits , and in his last budget as Chancellor, Brown gave an extra £3 billion in pension allowances, an increase in
4719-634: Is horrible". Nonetheless, in November 2007 Brown was accused by some senior military figures of not adhering to the Military Covenant , a convention within British politics ensuring adequate safeguards, rewards and compensation for military personnel who risk their lives in obedience to orders derived from the policy of the elected government. Brown did not attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics on 8 August 2008 in Beijing ; instead, he attended
4862-418: Is not properly reflected in overall share of the vote figures. Immediately following the previous general election, Labour held a double-digit lead in opinion polls. However, over the course of 2005, this lead was eroded somewhat. By December 2005, the Conservative party showed its first small leads in opinion polls following the controversial 90 days' detention proposals and the election of David Cameron to
5005-555: The 2007 Scottish parliament elections , set itself a target of 20 MPs and was hoping to find itself holding a balance of power. Equally, Plaid Cymru sought gains in Wales. Smaller parties which had had successes at local elections and the 2009 European elections ( UK Independence Party , Green Party , British National Party ) looked to extend their representation to seats in the House of Commons. The Democratic Unionist Party looked to maintain, if not extend, its number of seats, having been
5148-589: The 2010 general election in the United Kingdom. It formed the terms of reference governing the Cameron–Clegg coalition , the coalition government comprising MPs from the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats . The general election resulted in a hung parliament , with no party emerging with an overall majority in the House of Commons , for the first time in 36 years since February 1974. As
5291-645: The 2024 Birthday Honours for public and charitable services in the UK and abroad. As chancellor, Brown had high approval ratings and a poll of political scientists rated him the most successful chancellor in terms of economic stability, working independently from the prime minister and leaving a lasting legacy on the British economy . His premiership has been viewed less favourably; although public opinion of Brown has improved since he left office, his premiership has been viewed as average in historical rankings and public opinion of British prime ministers. James Gordon Brown
5434-867: The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland , the Progressive Unionist Party of Northern Ireland , the British National Party , the UK Independence Party (UKIP), and the Green parties in the UK: the Green Party of England and Wales , the Scottish Green Party , and the Green Party in Northern Ireland . In 2009, Nigel Farage announced his intention to resign as UKIP leader to focus on becoming an MP. Farage
5577-609: The Consumer Price Index and transferred responsibility for banking supervision to the Financial Services Authority . Some commentators have argued that this division of responsibilities exacerbated the severity in Britain of the 2007–2008 financial crisis . During the 1997 election campaign and subsequently, Brown pledged not to increase the basic or higher rates of income tax . Over his Chancellorship he reduced
5720-762: The Firth of Forth from Edinburgh – when Gordon was three. Brown was brought up there with his elder brother John and younger brother Andrew in a manse ; he is therefore often referred to as a "son of the manse", an idiomatic Scottish phrase, similar to the American phrase " preacher's kid ". Brown was educated first at Kirkcaldy West Primary School, 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. Aged 16, he wrote that he loathed and resented this "ludicrous" experiment on young lives. He
5863-453: The House of Lords by December 2010, review local government and voter registration. In pensions, compulsory retirement at sixty-five years of age would be abolished, although the earliest age for the state pension would be increased from 65 to 66, from a date no earlier than 2016 for men, 2020 for women. Changes would be made to the Jobseeker's Allowance and welfare to work systems, including
2010 United Kingdom general election - Misplaced Pages Continue
6006-553: The Iraq War , but said in a speech in June 2007 that he would "learn the lessons" from the mistakes made in Iraq. Brown said in a letter published on 17 March 2008 that the United Kingdom would hold an inquiry into the war . Brown went to great lengths to empathise with those who lost family members in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. He has often said "War is tragic", echoing Blair's quote, "War
6149-723: The London Borough of Tower Hamlets . The Times reported on 2 May that the investigation had revealed some names on the register were fictitious, with a late surge in applications to be added to the electoral register (before 20 April deadline) leading to 5,000 additions without time for full checks. In terms of the outcome of the borough's two seats, the narrower majority in any event exceeded 5,000 votes in Poplar and Limehouse , at 6,030 votes. The Labour candidate for North West Norfolk , Manish Sood, described Gordon Brown as Britain's worst ever prime minister. The comments, which he repeated to
6292-503: The National Curriculum , and schools would be "held properly accountable." The parties would await Lord Browne's proposals for higher education with the agreement stating the Liberal Democrats may abstain if they do not like proposed changes (i.e. if there was to be an increase in tuition fees). As part of the agreement the parties ruled out joining the euro while the coalition was in force. The parties agreed Britain would be
6435-818: The National Union of Teachers , the University and College Union , the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers , and the Public and Commercial Services Union . Several members of these unions ran as candidates under the TUSC banner. However, some former members of NO2EU, such as the Liberal Party and the Communist Party of Britain , chose not to participate in the TUSC campaign. The coalition did not run candidates against left wing Labour or Respect candidates. The prospective Labour candidate for Moray , Stuart Maclennan,
6578-467: The OECD , UK taxation increased from a 39.3% share of gross domestic product in 1997 to 42.4% in 2006, going to a higher level than that of Germany. This increase has mainly been attributed to active government policy, and not simply to the growing economy. Conservatives have accused Brown of imposing " stealth taxes ". A commonly reported example resulted in 1997 from a technical change in the way corporation tax
6721-510: The United States : "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 special relationship 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,
6864-402: The banking system , the agreement announced various reforms to "avoid a repeat of Labour's financial crisis" and stimulate the flow of credit, including the introduction of a banking levy, and controlling unacceptable bankers' bonuses and regulatory reform. The section regarding immigration , markedly shorter than all others, merely stated in one paragraph that there would be an annual cap on
7007-510: The budget deficit and national debt , the agreement detailed "significantly accelerated reduction in the structural deficit" over the Parliament, with £6,000,000,000 cuts to be made in the financial year 2010–11, with plans to be published in an emergency budget within fifty days. In spending, the agreement committed the government to a full Spending Review of government including a full Strategic Security and Defence Review to be completed by
7150-491: The general election . In the 1997 general election , Labour defeated the Conservatives by a landslide to end their 18-year exile from government, and when Tony Blair , the new Prime Minister, announced his ministerial team on 2 May 1997, he appointed Brown as Chancellor of the Exchequer . Brown would remain in this role for 10 years and two months, making him the longest-serving Chancellor in modern history. Some achievements from Brown's decade as chancellor included making
7293-544: The manifesto for change . The manifesto included a clampdown on corruption and a new Ministerial Code , which set out clear standards of behaviour for ministers. He also stated in a speech when announcing his bid that he wanted a "better constitution" that is "clear about the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen in Britain today". He planned to set up an all-party convention to look at new powers for Parliament and to look at rebalancing powers between Whitehall and local government. Brown said he would give Parliament
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#17330929735747436-435: The ACMD, criticised this move in a lecture in 2009, he was asked to step down by then Home Secretary Alan Johnson . Following his resignation, Professor Nutt said Brown had "made up his mind" to reclassify cannabis despite evidence to the contrary. Brown had argued, "I don't think that the previous studies took into account that so much of the cannabis on the streets is now of a lethal quality and we really have got to send out
7579-523: The Autumn, an increase in National Health Service funding in real terms and funding of disadvantaged pupils from outside the normal education budget. It would also establish an independent commission to review the long term affordability of public sector pensions, and restore the earnings link for the basic state pension from April 2011. Britain's independent nuclear deterrent would be maintained, but
7722-620: The Bank of England independent and delivering an agreement on poverty and climate change at the G8 summit in 2005. On taking office as chancellor, Brown gave the Bank of England operational independence in monetary policy , and thus responsibility for setting interest rates through the Bank's Monetary Policy Committee . At the same time, he also changed the inflation measure from the Retail Price Index to
7865-479: The Conservative candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran , was suspended from the party for comments he made about homosexuality on his website, describing it as not "normal behaviour". Andrew Fulton , the chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party , called the comments "deeply offensive and unacceptable", adding: "These views have no place in the modern Conservative party." However, he still appeared as
8008-525: The Conservatives (led by David Cameron ) in the polls. Disputes over political donations, a string of losses in local elections, and by-election losses in Crewe and Glasgow did himself and the government no favours either. Brown has since claimed that Labour would have won the 2007 election but he did not believe an early election was in the national interest. His political opponents accused him of being indecisive, which Brown denied. In July 2008, he supported
8151-452: The Conservatives again took the lead and, from then, extended their lead into double digits, particularly in response to the MPs' expenses scandal, although there was some evidence that the lead narrowed slightly towards the end of 2009. By the end of February 2010, Ipsos MORI , ICM , YouGov and ComRes polls had all found a sufficient narrowing of the Conservative lead for media speculation about
8294-454: The Conservatives formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats , Brown was succeeded as prime minister by Conservative leader David Cameron , and as Labour leader by Ed Miliband . After leaving office, Brown returned to the backbenches , continuing to serve as MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath until he gave up his seat in 2015. He has since made occasional political interventions, and published political-themed books. Brown played
8437-589: The House Jacob Rees-Mogg and Penny Mordaunt , future Health Secretary Matt Hancock and future Deputy Prime Ministers Dominic Raab and Thérèse Coffey . On 6 April 2010, the prime minister, Gordon Brown , visited Buckingham Palace for a meeting with the Queen to ask permission to dissolve Parliament on 12 April, confirming in a live press conference in Downing Street , as had long been speculated, that
8580-463: The House of Commons, and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland also gained its first elected member. The general election saw a 5.1% national swing from Labour to the Conservatives, the third-largest since 1945. The result in one constituency, Oldham East and Saddleworth , was subsequently declared void on petition because of illegal practices during the campaign , the first such instance since 1910. A hung parliament had been largely anticipated by
8723-529: The Labour Party's annual conference in September, which caused controversy as he coupled this with a commitment to crack down on migrant workers. The Conservative Party, led by David Cameron , promptly pointed out that such a commitment was illegal under EU law. Other controversial statements made by Brown about migration included him stating that English lessons and taking mandatory community service should be prerequisites for being granted UK citizenship. During
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#17330929735748866-417: The Liberal Democrats approved the agreement "overwhelmingly", sealing a coalition government of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats . A total of 149 sitting MPs stood down at the election, the highest since 1945 , including many former New Labour Cabinet ministers such as former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott , Alan Milburn , Geoff Hoon , Ruth Kelly , James Purnell and John Reid . One reason for
9009-594: The Queen's Speech to Parliament on 3 December 2008, the Brown government unveiled plans to introduce lie detector tests, based on voice recognition technology, in order to determine whether to accept benefit claims. Despite having spent £2.4 million on these tests, trials performed by the Department for Work and Pensions showed that they were inaccurate approximately four of every seven times they were used. Brown had been committed to
9152-471: The Rallings and Thrasher studies using ward by ward data from local elections and the 2005 general election, the new boundaries used in 2010 would have returned nine fewer Labour MPs had they been in place at the previous election; given that there are to be four more seats in the next parliament this nationally reduces Labour's majority from 66 to 48. Pursuant to Boundary Commission for England recommendations,
9295-710: The SNP and Plaid Cymru about The First Election Debate broadcast on ITV1 on Thursday 15 April 2010". The leader of the UK Independence Party, Lord Pearson , wrote an open letter to Somerset newspapers, asking voters to support Conservative candidates, rather than UKIP candidates in the Somerton and Frome , Taunton Deane and Wells constituencies. This action was criticised by UKIP candidates who refused to stand down. The Labour candidate for Bristol East and former MP Kerry McCarthy revealed information about postal votes cast in
9438-565: The UK adopting the euro . Controversial moves included the abolition of advance corporation tax (ACT) relief in his first budget, the sale of UK gold reserves from 1999 to 2002 , and the removal in his final budget of the 10% starting rate of income tax which he had introduced in the 1999 budget . Following Blair's resignation in 2007, Brown was elected unopposed to succeed him as prime minister and party leader. The party continued as New Labour, though Brown's style of government differed from Blair's. He remained committed to close ties with
9581-455: The UKIP leader, Lord Pearson stated that his party should also be included. Following a decision by the BBC Trust not to uphold a complaint from the SNP and Plaid Cymru over their exclusion from the planned BBC debate, the SNP announced on 25 April that they would proceed with legal action over the debate scheduled for 29 April. The party said it was not trying to stop the broadcast but it wanted an SNP politician included for balance. The SNP lost
9724-497: The United Kingdom to adopt the European single currency. The Treasury indicated that the tests had not been passed in June 2003. In 2000, Brown was accused of starting a political row about higher education (referred to as the Laura Spence affair ) when he accused the University of Oxford of elitism in its admissions procedures, describing its decision not to offer a place to state school pupil Laura Spence as "absolutely outrageous". Lord Jenkins , then Oxford Chancellor and himself
9867-511: The United States and to the war in Iraq , although he established an inquiry into the reasons for Britain's participation in the conflict . Brown's government introduced rescue packages to keep banks afloat during the 2007–2008 financial crisis , and so national debt increased. The government took majority shareholdings in Northern Rock and Royal Bank of Scotland , which had experienced severe financial difficulties, and injected public money into other banks. In 2008, Brown's government passed
10010-438: The United States and to the war in Iraq, although he established an inquiry into the reasons for Britain's participation in the conflict . He proposed a "government of all the talents" which would involve co-opting leading personalities from industry and professional occupations into government positions. Brown also appointed Jacqui Smith as the UK's first female Home Secretary , while Brown's former position as chancellor of
10153-424: The University of Edinburgh, Brown was involved in a romantic relationship with Margarita, Crown Princess of Romania . Margarita said about it: "It was a very solid and romantic story. I never stopped loving him but one day it didn't seem right anymore, it was politics, politics, politics, and I needed nurturing." An unnamed friend of those years is quoted by Paul Routledge in his biography of Brown as recalling: "She
10296-455: The banner of " Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force ". However, this caused the sole UUP MP Lady Sylvia Hermon to resign from the party on 25 March 2010, leaving them with no representation at Westminster for the first time in their history. Many constituencies were contested by other, smaller parties. Parties that won no representatives at Westminster in 2005 but have seats in the devolved assemblies or European Parliament included
10439-456: The basic rate from 22% to 20%, increasing tax for 5 million people and, according to the calculations of the Institute for Fiscal Studies , leaving those earning between £5,000 and £18,000 as the biggest losers. To backbench cheers, Brown had described the measure in his last Budget thus: "Having put in place more focused ways of incentivising work and directly supporting children and pensioners at
10582-424: The basic rate from 23% to 20%; however, in all budgets but his final one, he increased the tax thresholds in line with inflation rather than with earnings, resulting in fiscal drag . Under Brown, corporation tax fell from a main rate of 33% to 28%, and from 24% to 19% for small businesses . In 1999, he introduced a lower income tax band of 10% . He abolished this 10% tax band in his last budget in 2007 to reduce
10725-604: The broadcast of the final party leaders' debate in Scotland, in a court action. They had argued that "the corporation [the BBC] had breached its rules on impartiality by excluding the SNP". The judge, Lady Smith, ruled that "the SNP's case 'lacks the requisite precision and clarity ' " and added she could not "conclude the BBC had breached impartiality rules". Additionally, broadcasting regulator Ofcom ruled that it had not "upheld complaints received from
10868-758: The cameras. She said the incident had left her feeling more sad than angry and that she would not be voting for Labour or any other party. The incident was subsequently dubbed "Bigotgate", which was later added to the Collins English Dictionary . Despite this, Labour went on to gain the Rochdale seat from the Liberal Democrats, one of the few gains they made in the election. In Hornsey and Wood Green constituency 749 postal voters were sent ballot papers which asked voters to pick three candidates instead of one; Haringey Council had to send correct versions by hand. The Metropolitan Police launched an investigation in
11011-454: The case in the 1979 election. Prime Minister Gordon Brown had taken office in June 2007 following the end of Tony Blair's 10-year tenure as prime minister and 13 years as leader of the Labour Party, while David Cameron had succeeded Michael Howard in December 2005 and Nick Clegg had succeeded Menzies Campbell (who never contested a general election) in December 2007. During the campaign,
11154-409: The case, in a judgement delivered on 28 April. Since each MP is elected separately by the first past the post voting system, it is impossible to precisely project a clear election outcome from overall UK shares of the vote. Not only can individual constituencies vary markedly from overall voting trends, but individual countries and regions within the UK may have a very different electoral contest that
11297-459: The child tax credit, and an increase in the working tax credit. These increases were followed by another £1 billion of support for increases in the child tax credit. Under Brown, the tax code, the standard guide to tax, doubled in length to 17,000 pages. In October 1997, Brown announced that the Treasury would set five economic tests to determine whether the economic case had been made for
11440-480: The closing ceremony on 24 August 2008. Brown had been under intense pressure from human rights campaigners to send a message to China , concerning the 2008 Tibetan unrest . His decision not to attend the opening ceremony was not an act of protest, but rather was made several weeks in advance and not intended as a stand on principle. In a speech in July 2007, Brown clarified his position regarding Britain's relationship with
11583-484: The constituency on Twitter. Avon and Somerset Police said they were "looking into a possible alleged breach of electoral law". Bristol City Council stated: "This is a criminal matter and [it] will be for the police to decide what action to take." The former Prime Minister Tony Blair returned to the campaign trail for Labour, visiting a polyclinic in Harrow West, following a troubled Labour campaign. Postal voters in
11726-593: The deaths of Labour MPs and one due to the resignation in January 2010 of a DUP member. Each of the four national boundary commissions is required by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 (as amended by the Boundary Commissions Act 1992) to conduct a general review of all the constituencies in its part of the United Kingdom every eight to twelve years to ensure the size and composition of constituencies are as fair as possible. Based on
11869-615: The dignity of the individual. I will continue to work, as Tony Blair did, very closely with the American administration." Brown and the Labour party had pledged to allow a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty . On 13 December 2007, Foreign Secretary David Miliband attended for the Prime Minister at the official signing ceremony in Lisbon . Brown's opponents on both sides of the House, and in
12012-556: The document to be too complex to be decided by referendum. During Brown's premiership, in October 2008, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) recommended to the then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that cannabis remain classified as a Class C drug . Acting against the advice of the council, she chose to reclassify it as Class B . After Professor David Nutt , the chair of
12155-465: The election would be held on 6 May, five years since the previous election on 5 May 2005. The election took place on 6 May in 649 constituencies across the United Kingdom, under the first-past-the-post system, for seats in the House of Commons . Voting in the Thirsk and Malton constituency was postponed for three weeks because of the death of a candidate . The governing Labour Party campaigned to secure
12298-451: The energy performance certificates. Import or export of illegal timber would be criminalised. The initial agreement published on 12 May 2010 stated that it would be followed "in due course by a final Coalition Agreement, covering the full range of policy and including foreign, defence and domestic policy issues" which were not covered in the initial agreement. David Cameron , Nick Clegg , George Osborne , Theresa May and Vince Cable held
12441-450: The evening of Monday 10 May that he would resign as Leader of the Labour Party. Realising that a deal between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats was imminent, Brown resigned the next day, on Tuesday 11 May, as prime minister, marking the end of 13 years of Labour government. This was accepted by Queen Elizabeth II , who then invited David Cameron to form a government in her name and become prime minister. Just after midnight on 12 May,
12584-404: The evenings. Doctors were given the right of opting out of out-of-hours care in 2007, under a controversial pay deal, signed by then-Health Secretary John Reid , which awarded them a 22 per cent pay rise in 2006. On 5 June 2007, just three weeks before he was due to take the post of Prime Minister, Brown made a speech promising "British Jobs for British workers". Brown reiterated that promise at
12727-445: The exchequer was taken over by Alistair Darling . He 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 wanted Parliament to gain the right to ratify treaties and have more oversight of the intelligence services. He also proposed moving some powers from Parliament to citizens, including
12870-500: The face of the challenge that emerged in September, as did Business Secretary John Hutton , Environment Secretary Hilary Benn , and Chief Whip Geoff Hoon . On 4 June 2009 James Purnell resigned from the Cabinet , and called for Brown's resignation as prime minister. On 6 January 2010, Patricia Hewitt and Geoff Hoon jointly called for a secret ballot on the future of Brown's leadership. The call received little support, and
13013-428: The fields of the right to trial by jury , the right to non-violent protest , libel laws and freedom of speech , anti-terrorism legislation , regulation of CCTV , storage of internet and email records, and creation of new criminal offences . Fingerprinting of children at school without parental permission was to be outlawed. In pursuit of the parties' policies on creation of "a low carbon and eco-friendly economy",
13156-399: The final say on whether British troops were sent into action in future. He said he wanted to release more land and ease access to ownership with shared equity schemes. He backed a proposal to build new eco-towns , each housing between 10,000 and 20,000 homeowners – up to 100,000 new homes in total. Brown also said he wanted to have doctors' surgeries open at the weekends, and GPs on call in
13299-411: The following day Hoon said that it appeared to have failed and was "over". Brown later referred to the call for a secret ballot as a "form of silliness". Conservative%E2%80%93Liberal Democrat coalition agreement [REDACTED] The Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition agreement (officially known as The Coalition: Our Programme for Government ) was a policy document drawn up following
13442-408: The fourth-largest party in the House of Commons. The key dates were: This election had an unusually high number of MPs choosing not to seek re-election, with more standing down than did so at the 1945 general election (which on account of the extraordinary wartime circumstances came ten years after the preceding election). This has been attributed to the 2009 expenses scandal and the fact there
13585-419: The gold being widely criticised. As of August 2024 the gold prize is approximately £1,905 per ounce, which would value the reserves sold at £26.5 billion. As Chancellor, Brown argued against renationalising the railways , saying at the Labour conference in 2004 that it would cost £22 billion. During his time as Chancellor, Brown reportedly believed that it was appropriate to remove most, but not all, of
13728-410: The government, spoke of the need for discussion over Brown's position. While she did not state that she wanted Brown deposed, she implored the Labour Party to hold a leadership election. McDonagh was sacked from her role shortly afterward, on 12 September. She was supported in making clear her desire for a contest by Joan Ryan (who applied, as McDonagh had, for leadership nomination papers, and became
13871-428: The incident, Brown talked to Jeremy Vine live on BBC Radio 2 and publicly apologised to Duffy. American comedian Jon Stewart commented that the clip showed the moment when Brown's "political career leaves his body". Brown subsequently visited Duffy to apologise in person. Upon emerging, he described himself as a "penitent sinner", while Duffy refused to speak to the press and would not shake hands with him in front of
14014-629: The issue of devolution , the parties agreed to establish a committee on the West Lothian question (Scottish MPs in Westminster voting on English issue), implement the Commission on Scottish Devolution proposals, and offer a referendum on further devolution for Wales . Other political reform measures included introducing the power to recall MPs, bringing forward the Wright Committee proposals for Commons reform, and introducing proposals for reform of
14157-636: The largest share of the 2009 European Parliament election vote in Scotland. In Wales, the Labour Party remained the largest party in the Welsh Assembly , although Plaid Cymru increased their share of the vote and formed a coalition government with Labour. In 2009 the Ulster Unionist Party and the Conservative Party announced they had formed an electoral alliance whereby the two parties would field joint candidates for future elections under
14300-406: The last time a Conservative opposition had ousted a Labour government. The governing Labour Party led by the prime minister Gordon Brown lost the 66-seat majority it had previously enjoyed, but no party achieved the 326 seats needed for a majority. The Conservatives won the most votes and seats, but still fell 20 seats short. This resulted in a hung parliament where no party was able to command
14443-590: The leadership ballot. It has long been rumoured a deal was struck between Blair and Brown at the former Granita restaurant in Islington , in which Blair promised to give Brown control of economic policy in return for Brown not standing against him in the leadership election. Whether this is true or not, the relationship between Blair and Brown was central to the fortunes of New Labour , and they mostly remained united in public, despite reported serious private rifts. As Shadow Chancellor , Brown as Chancellor-in-waiting
14586-463: The leadership of the Conservative party. In early 2006, opinion polls were increasingly mixed with small leads given alternately to Labour and Conservative. From the May 2006 local elections, in which Labour suffered significant losses, the Conservatives took a small single-digit lead in opinion polls. Labour regained the lead in June 2007 following the resignation of Tony Blair and the appointment of Gordon Brown as prime minister. From November 2007,
14729-533: The longest-serving in modern history. Brown's time as chancellor was marked by major reform of Britain's monetary and fiscal policy architecture, transferring interest rate setting to the Bank of England , extension of powers of the Treasury to cover much domestic policy and transferring banking supervision to the Financial Services Authority . Brown presided over the longest period of economic growth in British history. He outlined five economic tests , which resisted
14872-411: The marginal Vale of Glamorgan constituency had to be issued with new ballot papers after mistakenly being told they did not have to sign applications for postal votes. A group of entrepreneurs warned on the dangers of a Labour-Liberal coalition in an open letter to The Times on 29 April. On 28 April, Gordon Brown met Gillian Duffy, a 65-year-old woman and lifelong Labour voter from Rochdale ,
15015-454: The number of non-EU workers admitted to live and work in the UK, with the mechanism decided later. The practice of child detention for immigration purposes would also be ended. As part of reform of the political system, the parties agreed to creating fixed-term parliaments . An early motion would set the date of the next general election as the first Thursday of May 2015, with later legislation establishing five-year fixed terms and introducing
15158-552: The number of seats in England increased by four, and numerous changes were made to the existing constituency boundaries. Northern Ireland continued to elect 18 MPs, but minor changes were made to the eastern constituencies in accordance with the Northern Ireland Boundary Commission's recommendations. For the first time, these changes include the splitting of an electoral ward between two constituencies. Following
15301-412: The opinion polls in the run-up to the election, so politicians and voters were better prepared for the constitutional process that would follow such a result than they had been in 1974. The coalition government that was subsequently formed was the first to result directly from a UK election. The hung parliament came about in spite of the Conservatives managing both a higher vote total and a higher share of
15444-444: The party launched the Not flash, just Gordon advertising campaign, which was seen largely as pre-election promotion of Brown as Prime Minister; however, Brown announced on 6 October that there would be no election any time soon – despite opinion polls showing that he was capable of winning an election should he call one. This proved to be a costly mistake, as during 2008 his party slid behind
15587-418: The party's creation in 1988; they found themselves in a pivotal role in the formation of the new government. The share of votes for parties other than Labour or the Conservatives was 35%, the largest since the 1918 general election . In terms of votes it was the most "three-cornered" election since 1923 , as well as in terms of seats since 1929 . The Green Party of England and Wales won its first ever seat in
15730-611: The party's leadership. On the morning of polling day, 6 May, the former and later leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage , standing in Buckingham against the Speaker, was injured when a light banner-towing aircraft in which he was a passenger crashed near Brackley , Northamptonshire. Groups of voters waiting in queues at 10 pm were locked out of polling stations in Sheffield Hallam , Manchester and Leeds; and police said one London polling station
15873-515: The party, said that Brown was the "solution", not the "problem"; Home Secretary Smith, Justice Secretary Jack Straw , Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Cabinet Office Minister Ed Miliband all re-affirmed their support for Brown. The Deputy Prime Minister under Blair, John Prescott , also pledged his support. Foreign Secretary David Miliband then denied that he was plotting a leadership bid, when on 30 July, an article written by him in The Guardian
16016-512: The point where many considered the possibility of a Liberal Democrat role in Government. Polls just before election day saw a slight swing from the Liberal Democrats back to Labour and Conservatives, with the majority of final polls falling within one point of Conservatives 36%, Labour 29%, Liberal Democrats 23%. However, record numbers of undecided voters raised uncertainty about the outcome. The Scottish National Party , encouraged by their victory in
16159-536: The press, suggested that ratification by Parliament was not enough and that a referendum should also be held. Labour's 2005 manifesto had pledged to give the British public a referendum on the original EU Constitution . Brown argued that the Treaty significantly differed from the Constitution, and as such did not require a referendum. He also responded with plans for a lengthy debate on the topic, and stated that he believed
16302-525: The previous general election included the Scottish National Party , with six parliamentary seats, Plaid Cymru from Wales with three seats, and Respect – The Unity Coalition and Health Concern , each of which held one parliamentary seat in England. Since that election, the SNP had won the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections and gained control of the Scottish Government , and also won
16445-665: The projects. Any new coal-fired power stations would be required to implement carbon capture and storage , while the targets for energy from renewable sources would be increased, subject to the advice of the Climate Change Committee . Other measures include a smart grid , smart meters and feed-in tariffs , a green investment bank would be created, and promotion of anaerobic digestion of waste for energy, marine energy , home energy improvement, green spaces and wildlife corridors, and electric car recharging networks. Home Information Packs would be abolished, albeit retaining
16588-630: The proposed replacement of the Trident system would be reviewed for value for money. In taxation , the agreement committed to increasing the personal income tax allowance to £10,000 by 2015 to take many of those on the lowest salaries out of the tax system. The de-prioritising Inheritance Tax cuts, and also laid out measures and arrangements on the issues of marriage, aviation, non-business capital gains taxes, and tax avoidance . The planned 1% rise in National Insurance will be partially scrapped. In
16731-692: The recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Wales, the total number of seats remained at 40, although new seats caused by radical redrawing of boundaries in Clwyd and Gwynedd were fought for the first time: Arfon and Dwyfor Meirionnydd replaced Caernarfon and Meirionnydd Nant Conwy , respectively; Aberconwy replaced Conwy . At the time of the election Welsh constituencies had electorates on average around 14,000 smaller than their counterparts in England. Scotland saw its most recent large-scale review completed in 2004, so its 59 constituencies remained
16874-400: The right to form "citizens' juries", easily petition Parliament for new laws, and rally outside Westminster. He 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. There was speculation during September and early October 2007 about whether Brown would call a snap general election . Indeed,
17017-535: The same as at the 2005 general election. All three main parties went into the general election having changed leaders since 2005. David Cameron became Conservative leader in December 2005, replacing Michael Howard . Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair as leader of the Labour Party and prime minister in June 2007. Nick Clegg was elected as leader of the Liberal Democrats in December 2007, succeeding Menzies Campbell who had replaced Charles Kennedy in January 2006. The last time all three main parties went into
17160-558: The same symptoms in his right eye. Brown underwent experimental surgery at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and his right eye was saved by a young eye surgeon, Hector Chawla. Brown graduated from Edinburgh with an undergraduate MA degree with First-Class Honours in history in 1972. He stayed on to obtain his PhD degree in history, which he gained ten years later in 1982, defending a thesis titled The Labour Party and Political Change in Scotland 1918–1929 . In his youth at
17303-636: The scrapping of the National Identity Card and register, the next generation biometric passport and the ContactPoint database. The Scottish model of implementation of the United Kingdom National DNA Database was to be extended to the whole of the United Kingdom. The Freedom of Information Act would be extended, and a Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill is to be introduced. Other reviews, reinforcements and repeals would take place in
17446-472: The second rebel to be fired from her job), Jim Dowd , Greg Pope , and a string of others who had previously held positions in government. In the face of this speculation over Brown's future, his ministers backed him to lead the party, and Harriet Harman and David Miliband denied that they were preparing leadership bids. After Labour lost the Glasgow East by-election in July, Harman, the deputy leader of
17589-410: The three main party leaders engaged in the first televised debates . The Liberal Democrats achieved a breakthrough in opinion polls following the first debate, in which their leader Nick Clegg was widely seen as the strongest performer. Nonetheless, on polling day their share of the vote increased by only 1%, with a net loss of five seats. This was still the Liberal Democrats' largest popular vote since
17732-489: The unpayable Third World debt . On 20 April 2006, in a speech to the United Nations Ambassadors, Brown outlined a " Green " view of global development. In October 2004, Blair announced he would not lead the party into a fourth general election, but would serve a full third term. Political comment over the relationship between Brown and Blair continued up to and beyond the 2005 election , which Labour won with
17875-723: The very high number of MPs standing down was the parliamentary expenses scandal a year earlier . A record 228 new MPs were elected at the election. Many of the Conservative MPs elected for the first time became ministers in government. Notable newcomers who were elected to parliament in 2010 included future Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss , future chancellors of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Kwasi Kwarteng , future Home Secretaries Priti Patel and Sajid Javid , future Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson , future Leaders of
18018-512: The vote than the previous Labour government had done in 2005 , when it had secured a comfortable majority (although vastly reduced from its landslide victories at the previous two elections). Coalition talks began immediately between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats , and lasted for five days . There was an aborted attempt to put together a Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition (although 11 seats from other smaller parties would have been required). To facilitate this, Gordon Brown announced on
18161-399: The war on terror as key priorities. On 11 May 2007, after months of speculation, Brown formally announced his bid for the Labour leadership. He launched his campaign website the same day as formally announcing his bid for leadership, titled "Gordon Brown for Britain". On 16 May, Channel 4 News announced that Andrew MacKinlay had nominated Brown, giving him 308 nominations—enough to avoid
18304-531: The world's first Climate Change Act , and introduced the Equality Act 2010 . Despite poll rises just after Brown became prime minister, after he failed to call a snap election in 2007, his popularity fell and Labour's popularity declined with the Great Recession . Labour lost 91 seats in the 2010 general election , resulting in a hung parliament in which the Conservative Party won the most seats. After
18447-630: 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 following Labour's fourth consecutive defeat in the general election that year. 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
18590-405: Was accepted by the University of Edinburgh to study history at the same early age of 16. During an end-of-term rugby union match at his old school, he received a kick to the head and experienced a retinal detachment . This left him blind in his left eye, despite treatment including several operations and weeks spent lying in a darkened room. Later at Edinburgh, while playing tennis, he noticed
18733-542: Was announced on 21 December 2009 that there would be three leaders' debates, each broadcast on prime time television , and a subsequent announcement in March 2010 that a debate between the financial spokesmen of the three main parties, Alistair Darling , George Osborne and Vince Cable would be held on 29 March. The SNP insisted that as the leading political party in Scotland in the latest opinion poll, it should be included in any debate broadcast in Scotland. On 22 December 2009,
18876-633: Was born at the Orchard Maternity Nursing Home in Giffnock , Renfrewshire , Scotland. His father was John Ebenezer Brown (1914–1998), a minister of the Church of Scotland and a strong influence on Brown. His mother was Jessie Elizabeth "Bunty" Brown ( née Souter; 1918–2004); she was the daughter of John Souter, a timber merchant. The family moved to Kirkcaldy – then the largest town in Fife , across
19019-549: Was elected to Parliament as a Labour MP at his second attempt, for Dunfermline East in the 1983 general election . His first Westminster office mate was a newly elected MP from the Sedgefield constituency, Tony Blair . Brown became an 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 doctoral thesis. Brown
19162-597: Was employed as a lecturer in politics at Glasgow College of Technology . He also worked as a tutor for the Open University . In the 1979 general election , Brown stood for the Edinburgh South constituency, losing 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
19305-462: Was interpreted by a large number in the media as an attempt to undermine Brown. In the article, Miliband outlined the party's future, but neglected to mention the Prime Minister. Miliband, responded to this by saying that he was confident Brown could lead Labour to victory in the next general election, and that his article was an attack against the fatalism in the party since the loss of Glasgow East . Miliband continued to show his support for Brown in
19448-572: Was mentioned by the press in the expenses crisis for claiming for the payment of his cleaner; however, no wrongdoing was found and the Commons Authority did not pursue Brown over the claim. Meanwhile, the Commons Fees Office stated that a double payment for a £153 plumbing repair bill was a mistake on their part and that Brown had repaid it in full. During his Labour leadership campaign Brown proposed some policy initiatives, which he called
19591-515: Was open until 10.30 pm, which triggered a national review of polling station requirements led by the Electoral Commission . The counts for the Foyle and East Londonderry constituencies were suspended because of a security alert around 11 pm after a car was abandoned outside the counting centre, causing a bomb scare. Following a campaign by Sky News and with agreement of the party leaders, it
19734-399: Was replaced in an election by party members by Lord Pearson of Rannoch , whose stated intention was for the electoral support of UKIP to force a hung parliament. The Green Party of England and Wales voted to have a position of leader for the first time; the first leadership election was won by Caroline Lucas , who successfully contested the constituency of Brighton Pavilion . In addition,
19877-530: Was reported that senior civil servants were to meet with the Liberal Democrats to discuss their policies, an indication of how seriously the prospect of a hung parliament was being taken. Nick Clegg and Menzies Campbell had continued the position of Charles Kennedy of not being prepared to form a coalition with either main party and of voting against any Queen's Speech unless there was an unambiguous commitment in it to introduce proportional representation . Other parties with representation at Westminster after
20020-451: Was sacked after making offensive comments on his Twitter page, referring to elderly voters as "coffin dodgers" and voters in the North of Scotland as " teuchters ", and insulting politicians such as Cameron, Clegg, John Bercow and Diane Abbott . The UKIP candidate for Thirsk and Malton —John Boakes—died, causing the election in the constituency to be postponed until 27 May. Philip Lardner,
20163-564: Was seen as a good choice by business and the middle class. During his tenure as Chancellor, the rate of inflation sometimes exceeded the 2% target; the Governor of the Bank of England , under the rules governing the Bank's role, wrote an explanatory letter to the Chancellor on each occasion inflation exceeded three per cent. Following a reorganisation of Westminster constituencies in Scotland in 2005, Brown became MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath at
20306-520: Was sweet and gentle and obviously cut out to make somebody a very good wife. She was bright, too, though not like him, but they seemed made for each other." In 1972, while still a student, Brown was elected Rector of the University of Edinburgh , the convener of the University Court . He served as Rector until 1975, and also edited the document The Red Paper on Scotland . From 1976 to 1980 Brown
20449-501: Was talk that redundancy-style payments for departing MPs might be scrapped after the election. In all, 149 MPs (100 Labour, 35 Conservatives, 7 Liberal Democrats, 2 Independents, 1 Independent Conservative and 1 member each from the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the DUP, and the SDLP) decided not to contest the election. Additionally, three seats were vacant at the time of the dissolution of Parliament; two due to
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