Gordon Brown Says He’ll Step Down

Posted on May 10, 2010

AP / Simon Dawson

Outgoing: Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown speaks to the media outside 10 Downing Street in London on Monday.

Who’ll rule Britannia? That remains to be seen, exactly, as several unsolved variables are still in play after last week’s election, but no matter how the power-sharing configuration takes shape, one thing’s for sure: Prime Minister Gordon Brown won’t be part of it.  —KA

The Wall Street Journal:

Gordon Brown announced Monday he will step down as Labour leader and U.K. prime minister in coming months in order to facilitate a possible power-sharing deal with the Liberal Democrats.

Brown asked the Labour party to start preparations for a leadership contest, which he hoped would be complete by the Labour party conference in the fall.

“I will play no part in that contest and I will back no individual candidate,” Brown said.

The prime minister said Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg had told him his party wished to start negotiations with Labour after several days of talks between Clegg’s party and the Conservatives.

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