Gordon Brown summary

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Gordon Brown, (born Feb. 20, 1951, Glasgow, Scot.), Scottish-born British politician and prime minister (2007–10). Brown worked as a teacher and a journalist before winning election in 1983 to the House of Commons as a member of the Labour Party. He subsequently became friends with Tony Blair, and the two men soon found themselves at the forefront of the campaign to modernize Labour’s political philosophy, replacing the goal of state socialism with a more pragmatic, market-friendly strategy. After Labour’s landslide victory in 1997, Blair became prime minister, and Brown was named chancellor of the Exchequer. Under Brown’s leadership, Great Britain experienced a period of relatively steady economic growth, but increased public spending and government borrowing became growing concerns. In June 2007 Blair stepped down as prime minister and as Labour leader, and Brown succeeded him in both posts. Brown’s tenure was troubled by economic crisis and a political scandal involving the abuse of expense accounts by members of Parliament. In the British general election on May 6, 2010, the Labour Party lost its majority in the House of Commons, finishing second to the Conservatives, and though no party achieved a majority, Brown resigned as both leader of the Labour Party and as prime minister.

Labour Party Summary

Labour Party, British political party whose historic links with trade unions have led it to promote an active role for the state in the creation of economic prosperity and in the provision of social services. In opposition to the Conservative Party, it has been the major democratic socialist party

House of Commons Summary

House of Commons, popularly elected legislative body of the bicameral British Parliament. Although it is technically the lower house, the House of Commons is predominant over the House of Lords, and the name “Parliament” is often used to refer to the House of Commons alone. The origins of the House

prime minister Summary

Prime minister, the head of government in a country with a parliamentary or semipresidential political system. In such systems, the prime minister—literally the “first,” or most important, minister—must be able to command a continuous majority in the legislature (usually the lower house in a

government Summary

Government, the political system by which a country or community is administered and regulated. Most of the key words commonly used to describe governments—words such as monarchy, oligarchy, and democracy—are of Greek or Roman origin. They have been current for more than 2,000 years and have not