Gordon Brown resigns as UK prime minister [It's official / on his way to the Queen]

BBC News Online ^ | Tuesday, 11 May 2010 | BBC

[wolf78]

Gordon Brown has announced he is resigning as UK prime minister.

Mr Brown is on his way to officially tender his resignation to the Queen, and recommend that Conservative leader David Cameron should succeed him.

Speaking alongside his wife Sarah outside No 10 Downing Street, he said the job had been "a privilege" and wished his successor well.

His decision comes as the Tories and Liberal Democrats are poised to agree a deal to form a government.

Labour's attempts to negotiate a deal of their own with the Lib Dems, after last week's inconclusive election result, ended in failure on Tuesday.

Mr Brown succeeded Tony Blair as prime minister in June 2007 after spending ten years as chancellor of the exchequer.

[wolf78]

Breaking news?

[US Navy Vet]

Yep no doubt about it “You did a Helluva job there Brownie”!

[Doogle]

worthy

[mlizzy]

Wonder what he’ll do with those nice gifts he got from the Obamas ... /sarc

[Deb]

Who will help him roll his big head back to Scotland?

[rightbrained]

Ready for Cameron

[Beowulf9]

Be great if Cameron became Prime Minister. Good news for the conservative world.

[Doogle]

"don't forget to take Odumbo's collector DVD's.... if you can remember what short legged chair you put them under

[GeronL]

Bad news.

The Tories will take the brunt of the blame for the coming financial collapse.

[wolf78]

Audience with queen is over, Cameron expected in approx. 15 minutes time to be invited by the Queen to form a government.

BBC Livestream of the events here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/liveevent/

[Free America52]

“Ready for Cameron”

Hopefully that’s an improvement over the one world government ally Gordon Brown?

[DoughtyOne]

Good for him. It was the right thing to do IMO.

[DesertRhino]

“officially tender his resignation to the Queen, and recommend that Conservative leader David Cameron should succeed him”

Creepy and weird,,, why not just say to the queen here’s how the transition will be? Whats this “recommend” BS?

[C19fan]

The Queen has to to formally ask Cameron to form a government.

[BelegStrongbow]

And if the Labour/Liberal/regional parties coalition votes it down, what then? Only England voted Conservative. Scotland was rock-hard Labout/Liberal and Northern Ireland and Wales both have regional parties even more leftleaning than either of the two biggies. Conservatives stand alone in the UK right now and there just aren’t enough of them to go around.

But, we’ll see what happens. Hope I’m wrong.

[jpf]

Translation, Nick Clegg has deemed it more advisable to be chained at the waste to David Cameron while being plunged neck deep in quicksand, than to find himself locked in a burning tank with Gordon Brown with two guns but only one bullet...

we'll see.

[C19fan]

The Lib-Dems agreed to support the Tories explicitly or abstaining from no confidence votes. Canada has had a Tory minority government for the past few years.

[wolf78]

Creepy and weird,,, why not just say to the queen here’s how the transition will be? Whats this “recommend” BS?

Because a British prime minister still is a loyal subject to the queen, and you cannot tell your monarch "and that's how it is". The king or queen always has the final word.

Of course the queen has to grapple with the facts, if she were to say: "Oh, let's go with the Monster Raving Loony Party (yes, it exists) for PM instead", Britain would soon be a republic. But even though the facts are facts, protocol is still protocol.

[Paladin2]

"Who will help him roll his big head back to Scotland?"

William Wallace?

[DesertRhino]

“The Queen has to to formally ask Cameron to form a government.”

Yeah i know,, thats the part thats creepy and weird. How in hell does she claim such power? England really cannot claim to be a free nation. “Royalty” for parades, tourism and such, i get,,, but actual governing by a monarch is *insane* for a modern western nation.

What if the old bat refuses to invite Cameron or something? What if she goes senile? (happened before)