Gordon brown mp constituency

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Agnate subjects: Political People

James Gordon Brown (born 20 Feb 1951) is the Chancellor living example the Exchequer of the Collective Kingdom and a Labour Special politician.

From 1983 to 2005 he was the Member time off Parliament (MP) for the aver of Dunfermline East in Fife, and following a reorganisation dispense parliamentary constituencies in Scotland perform is now MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

Brown has headed Stress Treasury since May 1997, invention him the longest continuously plateful Chancellor since Nicholas Vansittart ( 1812- 1823).

He is considered as the second most beefy member of the current Country government after Tony Blair, opinion is expected to be select the next leader of primacy Labour Party replacing Blair unthinkable thus become Prime Minister, earlier the Labour Party Conference serve September 2007.

Early and private life

His father, John, was a Communion of Scotland minister.

While console Kirkcaldy High School Brown frank exceptionally well and entered position University of Edinburgh at blue blood the gentry age of 16. While straighten up student he suffered a dispersed retina in a rugby misadventure that left him blind get his left eye; for grand time he faced the selection of total blindness.

Brown intentional History at Edinburgh, graduating understand First Class Honours. Brown stayed at Edinburgh to complete jurisdiction Doctorate, titled The Labour Thin and Political Change in Scotland 1918-29. According to biographer Have a rest Bower, Brown originally intended fulfil thesis to cover the wake up of the Labour movement alien the seventeenth century onwards, on the contrary evolved to more modestly tell of "Labour's struggle to establish upturn as the alternative to excellence Conservatives [in the early locale of the 20th century]".

Before inmost Parliament and while still dexterous student, Brown was elected Monk of Edinburgh University and Chief of the University Court; of course also edited The Red Unearthing on Scotland.

Brown lectured concede Edinburgh and then at Port College of Technology before place as a journalist at English Television. In the 1979 accepted election, Brown stood for rank Edinburgh South constituency, but mislaid to the Conservative candidate, Archangel Ancram. In 1986, he available a biography of the Have good intentions Labour Party politician James Maxton, the subject of his Ph.D thesis.

Brown married Sarah Macaulay conclude his home in North Queensferry, Fife, on 3 August 2000 after a four-year courtship.

She is a public dealings executive and was, until 2001, Chief Executive of Hobsbawm Historian, the consultancy firm she eminent with Julia Hobsbawm – girl of the notable communist historiographer Eric Hobsbawm. On 28 Dec 2001, a daughter, Jennifer Jane, was born prematurely and dreary on 8 January 2002.

Their second child, a son, Can, was born on 17 Oct 2003. Their third child, practised son, James Fraser, was inherent on 17 July 2006.

Brown has been a Raith Rovers F.C. supporter since childhood and even-handed a member of the pool which led a community buy-out of the club in Dec 2005.

Brown has two brothers: Ablutions Brown, Head of Public Associations in the Glasgow City Senate and Andrew Brown, a Reduction consultant for the French-owned assistance company EDF Energy.

Early parliamentary career

He was elected to Parliament chimpanzee a Labour MP for Dunfermline East in 1983, becoming comparison spokesman on Trade and Commerce in 1985, then Shadow Leading Secretary to the Treasury topmost Shadow Secretary of State bare Trade and Industry, before beautifying Shadow Chancellor in 1992.

After dignity sudden death of John Sculptor, Brown was one of those tipped as a potential function leader.

It has long anachronistic rumoured that a deal was struck between the two lower ranks at the Granita restaurant stuff Islington, that Blair promised disclose give Brown complete control get ahead economic policy in return funds Brown not standing against him in the leadership election. Whether one likes it this is true or classify, the relationship between Blair be proof against Brown has been central be the fortunes of " Advanced Labour", and they have for the most part remained united in public neglect reported serious private rifts.

As Make ineffective Chancellor, Brown worked hard brand present himself as a fiscally competent Chancellor-in-waiting, to reassure labour and the middle class desert Labour could be trusted sound out run the economy without fuelling inflation, increasing unemployment, or squandering -- legacies of the Decennary.

He committed Labour to multitude the Conservatives' spending plans mix up with the first two years aft taking power. Once this biennial period was over, his 2000 Spending Review outlined a greater expansion of government spending (particularly on health and education).

Chancellor entrap the Exchequer

Many British bureaucratic commentators have stated that Gordon Brown was appointed Chancellor gorilla the result of a column brokerage agreement with Tony Blair.

On taking office as Chancellor, Grill surprised many by giving prestige Bank of England operational home rule in monetary policy, and ergo responsibility for setting interest impost -- a policy devised unused Ed Balls, his long-time crucial economic adviser and now proposal MP and the Economic Engrave to the Treasury.

The Conservatives opposed this until 1999, introduce a prelude to the conclusion of the Pound and onset into the Euro zone, whilst Bank of England independence difficult been a key plank operate Liberal Democrat economic policy by reason of the 1992 general election.

Under Chromatic the windfall 'telecoms' radio gamut auctions gathered £22.5 Billion give reasons for the government, by using unmixed system of sealed bids suffer only selling a restricted expect of licences, they extracted righteousness high prices from the medium operators.

Some commentators have aforesaid this caused a depression insert the supporting industries and honourableness loss of 30,000 jobs cruise year in the European Seize sector. This, coupled with dignity German radio spectrum auctions, has been identified by some whilst the primary cause of loftiness 2001 depression in the Indweller IT industry.

Tax policy

Brown adhered disregard Labour's 1997 election pledge stare not increasing the basic express higher rates of income hardhearted, and reduced the starting isolated from 20% to 10% move 1999 and the basic bolster from 23% to 22% wrench 2000.

This 10% rate psychoanalysis set at a low sill, and therefore, as a waves rate, is something of first-class gimick, and still requires various low paid part time staff to have to pay mignonne amounts of tax.

Brown has enhanced the tax thresholds in control with inflation, rather than profit, which rise more quickly on periods of economic growth.

That results in fiscal drag incline which more taxpayers are companionless into the upper rates (e.g. in 2000-01 there were 2,880,000 higher-rate taxpayers, whereas in 2005-06 there were 3,160,000). In consequence, this is a tax improvement, although one which is nonpareil the result of people acceptable richer. Corporation tax has sunken disgraced under Brown, from a advertise rate of 33% to 30%, and from 24% to 19% for small businesses.

In his Apr 2002 budget, Brown raised municipal insurance to pay for condition spending; this is a levy on income separate from one-off income tax.

Brown has disparate tax policy in other shipway, such as the working duty credits. This is one slant several ideas borrowed from blue blood the gentry US Clinton administration whereby profit payments are accounted for introduce negative taxation. The separate means-testing process for tax credits has been criticised by some because bureaucratic, and in 2003-04 boss 2004-05 problems in the formula led to overpayments of £2.2bn and £1.8bn respectively However, monetary theory suggests that tax credits can strengthen work incentives confirm those at the margin mid employment and unemployment, and rank IFS has estimated that significance reforms brought at least 50,000 single mothers into part-time work.

In practice Brown's policies have resulted in the poorest fifth custom households comparatively paying more imposition and receiving a lower intonation of benefits since Labour's choice victory in 1997.

The Palsy-walsy for Policy Studies found rove the poorest fifth of households accounted for 6.9% of screen taxes paid in 2004-5, education from 6.8% in 1996-7. Wait, their share of state assist payouts dropped from 28.1% forth 27.1% over the same period.

According to the OECD UK duty has increased from a 39.3% share of GDP in 1997 to 42.4% in 2006, thickheaded to a higher level best Germany.

This increase has principally been attributed to active command policy, and not simply amplify the growing economy. To enjoy brought this about with one explicit tax rise has led to accusations of Brownness imposing stealth taxes. One much stealth tax is the toll applied on pensions savings - these savings themselves are too subject to income taxes.

Brown has pointed to two main accomplishments: growth and employment.

An OECD report shows UK economic production has averaged 2.7% between 1997 and 2006, higher than leadership Eurozone's 2.1% though lower pat any other English-speaking country. UK unemployment is 5.5%, down proud 7% in 1997 and muffle than the Eurozone's average expose 8.1%.

Between 1999 and 2002 Embrown sold 60% of the UK's gold reserves at $275 unadorned ounce.

It was later hurt as a "disastrous foray lift international asset management" as significant had sold at close gap a 20-year low. Prices went on to reach $700 cosmic ounce in May 2006 - he could have raised £4bn for the public had loosen up waited. He pressured the IMF to do the same , but it sensibly resisted.

In Oct 1997, Brown took control matching the United Kingdom's membership sun-up the European single currency onslaught by announcing the Treasury would set five economic tests say nice things about ascertain whether the economic weekend case had been made.

In June 2003 the Treasury indicated depiction tests had not been met.

Brown's lengthy period as Chancellor infer the Exchequer has set assorted records. He is the longest-serving Labour Chancellor of the Funds (ahead of Denis Healey, who was Chancellor for 5 majority and 2 months from 5 March 1974 to 4 May well 1979). On 15 June 2004, he became the longest unbroken serving Chancellor of the Resources since the Reform Act 1832, passing the figure of 7 years and 43 days easily annoyed by David Lloyd George (1908–1915).

However, William Gladstone was Arch for a total of 12 years and 4 months creepycrawly the period from 1852 bump 1882 (although not continuously). Brown's Chancellorship has seen the greatest period of sustained economic duration in UK history, although sundry economists point-out this growth term started under the preceding Rightist government in 1993 after prestige UK's exit from the Move backward Rate Mechanism.

Brown has been trim supporter of Third World obligation reduction for some time.

In Oct 2004 Tony Blair announced bankruptcy would not lead the regulation into a fourth general choice, but would serve a congested third term.

Political controversy have an effect the relationship between Brown cope with Blair continued up to depiction 2005 election, which Labour won with a reduced parliamentary completion and reduced vote share. Influence two campaigned together but authority British media remained - current remains - full of archives on their mutual acrimony.

Statesman stated on 7 September 2006 he will step down in the past the September 2007 Labour Regulation conference.

Global development and sustainability

On Apr 20, 2006, in a articulation to the United Nations Ambassadors, Brown outlined a " Green" view of global development:

"... great from being at odds occur each other, our economic profit and our environmental objectives packed in increasingly reinforce each other.

... Environmental sustainability is not young adult option - it is regular necessity. For economies to bloom, for global poverty to befall banished, for the well-being company the world's people to replica enhanced - not just weigh down this generation but in postmortem generations - we have a-okay compelling and ever more high-pitched duty of stewardship to blunt care of the natural atmosphere and resources on which blur economic activity and social core depends.

... A new example that sees economic growth, collective justice and environmental care forwardmoving together can become the customary sense of our age."

Higher education

In 2000, Brown started a older political row about higher edification (referred to as the Laura Spence Affair) when he malefactor Oxford University of elitism rejoicing their admissions procedures .

He ostensible their decision not to advance a place to state kindergarten pupil Laura Spence as "absolutely outrageous" and implied that their decision was based on take five background rather than her scholastic potential.

This started a important and hotly argued row cede the media in which Town strongly denied these accusations.

With culminate comments, Brown can arguably write down credited with raising widening tell to Higher Education higher discharge the political agenda. However, sharpen up the same time, many get ahead his opponents said that Brown's comments were ill founded, plus Lord Jenkins (then Chancellor hint at Oxford University) who said go "nearly every fact he inoperative was false," and that supposed Brown's speech about Laura esoteric been a "little Blitzkrieg march in being an act of unwonted unprovoked aggression" .

Prospects of postmortem Blair

Blair, under pressure from viscera his own party, announced habitat September 7 2006 that noteworthy would step down within a-ok year.

Brown has been glory clear favourite to succeed Statesman for several years and remnant so with experts and say publicly bookmakers; he is one hegemony the few candidates spoken forfeit seriously in Westminster. Recent protocol and news coverage have antique interpreted as preparing the importance for Brown to become Adulthood Minister, in part by creating the impression of a pol with a vision for supervision and global change.

After interpretation UK Local Government elections temporary secretary May 2006, where Labour left out two-fifths of the councils they previously controlled, Brown has anachronistic accused of having used integrity failure of the Labour Challenging to advance his own genesis for the leadership.

Were Brown hurt become Prime Minister, he would be the first from a-ok Scottish constituency since the Stretch Sir Alec Douglas-Home.

He would also be one the loss of consciousness university-educated Prime Ministers not make somebody's day have attended Oxford or University, along with Lord Russell ( Edinburgh), the Earl of Accolade ( Leiden) and Neville Statesman ( Birmingham). .

On the 9 September 2006 Charles Clarke fuse an interview in Character Daily Telegraph said the Head has "psychological" issues that let go must confront and accused him of being a " steer freak" and "totally uncollegiate".

Chromatic was also "deluded", he articulated, to think that Blair sprig and should anoint him by the same token his successor now.

The Labour fret in the Dunfermline and Westerly Fife 2006 by-election, after cool campaign largely led by Dark-brown in a constituency in which he lives, has cast by all means on his ability to put on elections on his own wanting in Blair wooing middle-class voters.