Premiership of Gordon Brown - 2010 General Election

2010 General Election

On 6 April 2010, Gordon Brown visited Buckingham Palace to seek the Queen's permission to dissolve Parliament on 12 April, thus triggering a general election on 6 May. Announcing the election shortly afterwards, Brown described it as the "least well-kept secret of recent years", since 6 May had been predicted as the most likely date for an election for some time. Labour's manifesto for the election was unveiled by Brown on 12 April under the party's election slogan of "A future fair for all", with the Prime Minister saying that Labour had a "plan for the future". Key pledges in the manifesto included;

• No rise in income tax rate during the next Parliament
• No extension in VAT to food and children's clothes
• A new global banks levy
• No stamp duty for first time buyers on homes below £250,000
• A pledge to raise minimum wage in line with earnings
• The right for constituents to recall MPs
• Referendums on democratic House of Lords and changing the voting system
• Plans to double paternity leave from two to four weeks
• A pledge not to privatise Royal Mail during the next Parliament

The main opposition parties were critical in their response to the manifesto. The Conservative Party said that it would "change nothing", while the Liberal Democrats claimed that Labour wouldn't reform tax and politics. Conservative leader David Cameron said: "There is nothing new there, there is nothing different there." Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg questioned how Labour could deliver "fairness and new politics" when they had promised the same at previous general elections, but failed to do so.

The election campaign saw the United Kingdom's first televised debates between the leaders of the three main parties. While Cameron and Clegg were generally perceived to have performed well in these, Brown was seen to have done less well. Brown also attracted criticism from the media after privately describing on 28 April, whilst in a car with his staff, a 65-year-old pensioner, Gillian Duffy, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, as a "bigoted woman" after she stated that entitled people were not receiving benefits because non-entitled people are receiving them. She also expressed her displeasure at immigration from Eastern Europe. His remarks were recorded by a Sky News microphone he was still wearing following a visit to Rochdale, and widely broadcast.

At the election Labour lost 91 seats in the House of Commons, but the rival Conservatives failed to achieve an overall majority, resulting in the first hung parliament since 1974. Under the constitution governing what happens in the event of a hung parliament Brown remained temporarily as prime minister, while the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives entered into talks aimed at forming a coalition government. Talks also took place between the Liberal Democrats and Labour. On 10 May, Brown announced his intention to step down as leader of the Labour Party, and instructed the party to put into motion the processes to elect a new leader. Brown's continued presence as Prime Minister was seen as a stumbling block to formulating a Labour-Liberal Democrat deal. By 11 May, however, the possibility of a deal was looking unlikely as talks between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats continued, and after concluding that he would not be able to form a government, Brown announced his resignation. He also said that he would be stepping down as leader of the Labour Party with immediate effect. Brown was succeeded as Prime Minister by David Cameron, while Harriet Harman became acting leader of the Labour Party.