Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown was born in Giffnock near Glasgow in 1951, the son of a Church of Scotland minister, and grew up in Kirkcaldy. He entered Edinburgh University at 16 and gained a first in history. He became MP for Dunfermline East in 1983 and shared an office with Tony Blair. As Chancellor from 1997 to 2007, the longest-serving in modern times, he gave the Bank of England control of interest rates and set five economic tests for joining the euro. He became Prime Minister in June 2007. The global financial crisis and recession dominated his premiership, and Labour lost its majority in 2010. He left Parliament in 2015. He holds no elected office but serves in envoy roles, including for the UN, the WHO and, since 2026, the UK government on global finance.

Supporters credit Brown with a long period of growth as Chancellor, independence for the Bank of England, tax credits that reduced child poverty and a leading role in coordinating the international response to the 2008 crisis. Critics argue that light-touch financial regulation and rising public spending left Britain exposed when the crisis came, and point to his sale of much of the UK's gold reserves at low prices and the abolition of the 10p income tax band. His years as Chancellor were marked by a long rivalry with Tony Blair. Since leaving office he has campaigned on global education, health financing and child poverty.