Ed Balls: Gordon Brown won’t take ‘lesser’ FM role
The shadow chancellor, a former close confidante of Mr Brown, told a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester that former premiers and presidents found it difficult to find a new role after leaving the highest offices of state.
Mr Brown’s barnstorming performances in the final days of the referendum campaign led to speculation he could be prepared to re-enter the front line of politics in Scotland.
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Hide AdBut Mr Balls said: “I think that it’s very difficult for presidents in America, for Prime Ministers in our country, to do that job with all that exposure and all the things that happen, and then to step out and come back into a lesser role in front line politics.
“I have huge respect for the Scottish Parliament but being First Minister in Scotland isn’t the same job as being the UK Prime Minister.
“I would be staggered if Gordon Brown ever wanted to come back into that kind of role.
“But I have no doubt he would like to be, in broader terms, not only active in the political debate but I’m sure he’s got other jobs in him.”
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