Gordon Brown vows to stay on as Labour leader in face of general election defeat

Published on Monday 15 March 2010 12:21

GORDON BROWN fuelled speculation today that he will seek to stay on as Labour leader even if he is beaten at the general election.

• Gordon Brown

Until recently it had been widely assumed at Westminster that Mr Brown would stand down if he failed to secure victory, triggering a leadership contest among a younger generation of Labour MPs.

But asked directly today whether he would resign if he did not get a majority in the election, Mr Brown replied: "I'll keep going."

He added: "I'll keep going because I want a majority. I'll keep going."

His comments, on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, followed a report in today's Times which quoted an unnamed senior minister suggesting that

Mr Brown would hope to remain Labour leader in the event of defeat at the polls.

The minister was quoted as saying: "Don't underestimate Gordon. Unless the rejection at the polls is large and personal, there is no reason for him to go quickly."

Asked on Woman's Hour whether he would not owe it to Labour to stand down if he failed to secure a "decent majority", Mr Brown replied: "I owe it to people to continue and complete the work that we have started of taking this country out of the most difficult financial recession.

"To be honest, going round the country, I feel there is more to do to improve the health service, more to do to give people better opportunities, more to do for women on maternity pay and equal pay, more to do on the discriminations that still exist."

Mr Brown said there would be "more information" about public spending in the Budget, but admitted there was "uncertainty" because of unemployment.

"We have announced cuts and there will be more information in the Budget," he said.

But, pressed about the extent of detail voters could expect before the general election, he added: "At the moment we are not absolutely sure what's happening to employment and unemployment.

"We don't know yet what savings we can get from cutting or keeping unemployment down, but that runs into billions of pounds.

"If we have these savings, we can use them to fund departments. If we don't have these savings, it makes it more difficult.

"So there is a degree of uncertainty at the moment about what we can do in the future."

He insisted that hospitals, schools and policing would have their funding protected.

He acknowledged that was only for two years, but sought to reassure voters that the protection would remain after that period.

"I think you can be reasonably sure that the protection for health and education and policing will be continued," he said.

"You will get the spending round in due course."