24.11.14
Gordon Brown to stand down as MP
Gordon Brown is to stand down as an MP at the next general election to focus efforts on his charity work in Africa, according to reports.
The former PM, who already describes himself as an ‘ex-politician’, is expected to announce the decision in the next few days. There has been no official confirmation but senior Labour sources have confirmed to multiple media outlets that the move will happen.
Brown, who has served 32 years in the House of Commons, returned to prominence this year as part of the ‘No’ campaign in the Scottish referendum, he is widely credited with leading a last-ditch effort to save the Union.
His contribution to the unionist cause has been his only major one in frontline UK politics since he resigned as prime minister after Labour’s defeat in the general election of 2010. For the past four years, he focused on his charity work and his role as United Nations special envoy for global education.
An ally told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: “Gordon has confirmed to friends that he will stand down at the election in May. He wants to go out on a high after effectively salvaging the campaign to keep the UK together in September. He will focus on his charity work.”
He is not expected to seek a seat in the House of Lords and is likely to continue in his role as a UN Special Envoy for Global Education.
Brown was first elected to parliament in 1983 and was chancellor from 1997 until 2007 and prime minister from 2007 until 2010.
He has remained a more popular figure in Scotland than south of the border and there were calls for him to stand as Scottish Labour leader when Johann Lamont quit last month, a move he was quick to rule out.
With Labour facing a strong challenge from the SNP at the next election, Brown's seat – with a Labour majority of 23,000 – is likely to be coveted by potential successors.
(c. Danny Lawson and PA Wire)
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