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Brown confirmed Labour leader

Hasan Suroor

He should seek mandate from the people, says Opposition

Gordon Brown

LONDON: It is now official that Gordon Brown will be the leader of the Labour Party and Britain's next Prime Minister after Tony Blair steps down on June 27.

His name as leader-elect of the party was confirmed on Thursday after the only contender for the post, left-wing MP John McDonnell, pulled out of the race after failing to get enough votes to challenge Mr. Brown.

For Mr. Brown, Britain's longest-serving and arguably the most successful Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was a moment he had been waiting for 10 years, and his supporters could barely conceal their delight hailing his unopposed election as the start of a new chapter in New Labour which he created with Mr. Blair.

"We are delighted that the party is uniting behind Gordon and giving him such overwhelming support," said campaign manager Jack Straw who is tipped to return to the Foreign Office. He was removed as Foreign Secretary by Mr. Blair reportedly under pressure from the White House after he ruled out military action against Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.

Labour's chief whip Jacqui Smith said Mr. Brown's election without a contest showed there was unity in the party over his leadership. "The outcome of the nominations process has, I believe, reflected the views of the Labour Party across the country," she said.

In a speech soon after winning the nomination, Mr. Brown laid out his vision for the party and the country. But the Opposition demanded that he should call a general election to get a mandate from the people.

Tory leader David Cameron said Mr. Brown had no popular mandate to lead the country as Mr. Blair had promised to complete his full third term when he was elected in the 2005 general election. Liberal Democrats were even more critical with their leader Menzies Campbell saying a "coronation'' was "no way to install a Prime Minister''.

Earlier, as nominations closed Mr. Brown won the support of 88 per cent of the Labour MPs. He got the backing of 313 of the 350-odd party MPs whereas Mr. McDonnell managed only 29 — 16 short of the minimum needed to get on to the ballot.

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