Editing Gordon Brown (section)

=== Labour leadership bid ===
{{main|2007 Labour Party leadership election (UK)}}

In October 2004, Blair announced he would not lead the party into a fourth general election, but would serve a full third term.<ref>{{Cite news |last=White |first=Michael |date=21 October 2004 |title=Blair: I will serve a full third term |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2004/oct/01/uk.labourconference2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091204034459/http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2004/oct/01/uk.labourconference2 |archive-date=4 December 2009 |access-date=19 July 2009 |work=The Guardian |location=London}}</ref> Political comment over the relationship between Brown and Blair continued up to and beyond the [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005 election]], which Labour won with a reduced [[Majority government|majority]] and reduced vote share. Blair announced on 7 September 2006 that he would step down within a year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cowell |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Cowell |date=8 September 2006 |title=Blair to Give Up Post as Premier Within One Year |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/world/europe/08blair.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012190450/http://nytimes.com/2006/09/08/world/europe/08blair.html?ex=1315368000&en=5e7bcfe77c01e050&ei=5088 |archive-date=12 October 2007 |access-date=10 July 2007 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Brown was the clear favourite to succeed Blair; he was the only [[2007 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|candidate]] spoken of seriously in Westminster. Appearances and news coverage leading up to the handover were interpreted as preparing the ground for Brown to become prime minister, in part by creating the impression of a statesman with a vision for leadership and [[global change]]. This enabled Brown to signal the most significant priorities for his agenda as prime minister; speaking at a [[Fabian Society]] conference on 'The Next Decade' in January 2007, he stressed education, international development, narrowing inequalities (to pursue 'equality of opportunity and fairness of outcome'), renewing Britishness, restoring trust in politics, and winning hearts and minds in the war on terror as key priorities.<ref>{{Cite press release |title=Make education our national mission |date=15 January 2007 |publisher=[[Fabian Society]] |url=http://www.fabian-society.org.uk/events/event-reports/brown-make-education-our-national-mission |access-date=21 June 2009 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722190808/http://www.fabian-society.org.uk/events/event-reports/brown-make-education-our-national-mission |archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref>

On 11 May 2007, after months of speculation, Brown formally announced his bid for the Labour leadership. He launched his campaign website the same day as formally announcing his bid for leadership, titled "Gordon Brown for Britain".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Helm |first1=Toby |last2=Jones |first2=George |date=12 May 2007 |title=Brown sweeps away the Blair glitz |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1551295/Brown-sweeps-away-the-Blair-glitz.html |url-status=live |access-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318022304/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1551295/Brown-sweeps-away-the-Blair-glitz.html |archive-date=18 March 2014 }}</ref> On 16 May, [[Channel 4 News]] announced that [[Andrew MacKinlay]] had nominated Brown, giving him 308 nominations{{mdash}}enough to avoid a leadership contest. A BBC report states that the decisive nomination was made by [[Tony Wright (Cannock Chase MP)|Tony Wright]] with MacKinlay yet to nominate at that point.<ref>{{cite news |date=16 May 2007 |title=Brown will enter No 10 unopposed |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6660565.stm |url-status=live |access-date=5 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070917170058/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6660565.stm |archive-date=17 September 2007 }}</ref> Brown replaced Blair as [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Leader of the Labour Party]] on 24 June 2007.