Gordon Brown took over as British prime minister Wednesday,
ending his long years of waiting for the top job and hopefully
opening a new era for the country.
In a short speech at the gate of his new home No.10 Downing
Street after his premiership was confirmed by Queen Elizabeth II,
Brown, with rare smile, said he will form a new government with new
priorities.
"I have accepted the invitation of the Majesty the Queen to form
a government. This will be a new government with new priorities,"
Brown said.
"I have been privileged to be granted the great opportunity to
serve my country," he said, "and in all times, I will be strong in
purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action, in the service of
what matters to the British people, meeting the concerns and
aspirations of our whole country."
The immediate tricky job for Brown as prime minister was to
choose his cabinet members. Intensive discussions were underway
later Wednesday, with the result likely to come out Thursday
morning.
A dramatic reshuffle was predicted as Brown had said that he
would like to draw on talents not confined to his Labor Party.
Brown reiterated his intention to build a government across
party lines.
"I will reach out beyond the narrow party interest," he said, "I
will build a government that uses all the talents, I will invite
men and women of good will to contribute their energies in the new
spirit of public service to make our nation what it can be."
The Sky News, citing sources, reported that Margaret Beckett
would not stay Foreign Secretary, and Health Secretary Patricia
Hewitt also resigned from the government for "personal
reasons".
The House of Commons leader Jack Straw was said to be keen to
return to the Foreign Office, a post he held from 2001 until
Beckett took over in 2006.
Earlier Wednesday, Brown was summoned by Queen Elizabeth II to a
private audience at her official residence, Buckingham Palace,
where he was formally confirmed as the new leader shortly after
Tony Blair tendered his resignation.
In a largely ceremonial procedure, Brown sought permission from
the queen to form a new government as the leader of the ruling
Labor Party.
Brown, serving for ten years as the Chancellor of the Exchequer
in charge of treasury for Blair, was endorsed as the new leader of
the Labor Party Sunday after Blair announced in May that he would
step down today.
The new prime minister is facing a country still divided by the
Iraq war and seeking response to the recent call for a referendum
on the new European Union treaty, which was agreed during a summit
last week to replace the dead EU constitution treaty.
Furthermore, there is rising speculation that Brown would soon
occupy himself with an early general election.
In his first speech as the ruling party leader Sunday, Brown
appointed current Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander as
coordinator for the party's election campaign, sparking rumors that
he may go to the country as early as next year.
British voters are scheduled to go to national polls around May
2010.
As Brown finally got the keys to No. 10 Downing Street, the
Labor Party and the opposition Conservative Party were virtually
neck-and-neck in the latest polls.
Results released by the Sky News on Wednesday showed that
Brown's party won the backing of 36 percent of 2,080 people polled,
trailing the Conservatives by a single point.
However, Brown himself rated ahead of the Tories leader David
Cameron on trust, leadership, the National Health Service, the
economy and education, only lower on foreign policy and
charisma.
Facing the challenge of how to lead his party to a fourth
consecutive victory, Brown gained one more vote in Parliament
before his first day as the prime minister.
On Tuesday, Quentin Davies, a 20-year parliamentary member from
the opposition Conservative Party, defected to Labor.
British media later revealed that Brown was behind Davies' shock
defection, or at least the new prime minister knew of the decision
beforehand.
In his first speech as prime minister, Brown said he will
continue to listen and learn from the British people to deliver
changes to the country, a similar message to what he pledged when
he was elected to lead the ruling Labor Party Sunday.
"I heard the need for change," he said, adding that his
government will seek changes for better education and affordable
housing, change to build people's trust in the government and
change to protect and extend British way of life.
"If we can fulfill the potential and realize the talents of all
our people, then I am absolutely sure that Britain can be the great
global success story of the century," Brown said.
Citing his school motto "I will try my utmost" to show his
resolution, Brown said, "This is my promise to all the people of
Britain and now let the work of change begin."
V. Ahuja, a retired man who used to work as an accountant in the
City of London, the global financial powerhouse, was cautious about
Brown's commitments, though he thought the leadership change is
good for the country.
"He (Brown) did make a lot of promises, but I want to see his
action," he said.
Arnold Richards, a family hotel runner in London, was rather
confident of Brown.
"I think he will have more chance of delivery," Richards
said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2007)
