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Brown says he will step down as Labour leader

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-11 01:43

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, also leader of the Labour Party, said on Monday afternoon that he intended to step down as Labour Party and his party will hold formal talks with Lib Dems.

Brown said he wanted a successor to be in place by the time of the party's conference in September.

He said Lib Dem party leader Nick Clegg wants to begin formal discussions with the Labour Party and plans are now being made to allow that to happen.

Brown said he has "no desire to stay in my position longer than is needed to ensure that the path to economic growth is secured" and the route is paved for political reform. He said he will ask his party to launch a leadership contest and will play no part in it -- expecting a new leader to be in place around the time of the Labour conference in September.

In a statement outside the Downing Street NO. 10, Brown said: " The reason that we have a hung parliament is that no single party or single leader was able to win support."

He said: "As leader of my party I must accept that that is a judgement on me. I therefore intend to ask the Labour Party to set in train the processes needed for its own leadership election."

"I would hope that it would be completed in time for the new leader to be in post by the time of the Labour Party conference. I will play no part in that contest. I will back no individual candidate," he added.

He also announced that Clegg had just told him he wanted to begin formal talks with Labour and he thought it was "in the interests of the whole country to form a progressive coalition government." He said it had been his intention from the outset to "ensure that a strong, stable and principled government is formed. "

Analysts said Brown's decision to resign was designed to " unlock" a possible coalition deal between Labour and the Lib Dems.

Earlier Monday, negotiating terms of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrat Party met again.

A Lib Dem spokesman said later progress has been made in talks between the Liberal Democrat Party and the Conservative Party, but there's no deal yet.

Lib Dem education spokesman David Laws said his party's members of parliament (MPs) have asked for clarification on some details, such as education funding, fair taxes and voting system.

The parliamentary party had agreed that cutting the deficit must be at the heart of any deal and that there must be "strong and stable government."

Lib Dem MPs also agreed that Clegg should listen further to the representations made by the Labour Party.

A senior Lib Dem source also said the next step is to enter into official negotiations with the Labour Party at the same time continuing conversations with Conservatives.