Gordon Brown has just announced his intention to step down as party leader of the Labour party, paving the way for a Liberal-Labour Coalition in the UK. This just in on Monday 10th May 2010:
“If it becomes clear that the national interest, which is stable and principled government, can be best served by forming a coalition between the Labour party and the Liberal Democrats then I believe I should discharge that duty to form that government, which would, in my view, command a majority in the House of Commons in the Queens speech and any other confidence votes.
But I have no desire to stay in my position longer than is needed to ensure that fast economic growth is assured and the process of political reform we have agreed moves forward quickly.
The reason that we have a hung Parliament is that no single party and no single leader was able to win the full support of the country. As leader of my party I must accept that that is a judgement on me.
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 party to be in post by the time of the Labour party conference. I will take no part in that contest and will back no individual candidate.”
Prime Minister, Gordon Brown
