Editing Gordon Brown (section)

===Domestic policy===
[[File:Gordon Brown Davos 2008 crop (1).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Brown at the [[World Economic Forum]] meeting in Davos in 2008]]
During his Labour leadership campaign Brown proposed some policy initiatives, which he called the ''manifesto for change''.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hipwell |first=Deirdre |date=13 May 2007 |title=Gordon's manifesto for change |work=[[The Times]] |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/gordons-manifesto-for-change-rqswxtdd0db |access-date=15 July 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Watt |first=Nicholas |date=13 May 2007 |title=Poll surge as Brown unveils policy blitz |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/may/13/uk.labourleadership |url-status=live |access-date=2 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203150026/http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/may/13/uk.labourleadership |archive-date=3 February 2009}}</ref>

The manifesto included a clampdown on corruption and a new [[Ministerial Code]], which set out clear standards of behaviour for ministers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 July 2007 |title=Brown sets out reform proposals |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6258794.stm |url-status=live |access-date=3 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726222650/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6258794.stm |archive-date=26 July 2008}}</ref> He also stated in a speech when announcing his bid that he wanted a "better constitution" that is "clear about the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen in Britain today". He planned to set up an all-party convention to look at new powers for Parliament and to look at rebalancing powers between [[Whitehall]] and local government. Brown said he would give Parliament the final say on whether British troops were sent into action in future.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-16050574|title=Parliament 'war powers' must be law by 2015, say MPs|date=6 December 2011|publisher=BBC|accessdate=4 June 2024}}</ref>

He said he wanted to release more land and ease access to ownership with shared equity schemes. He backed a proposal to build new [[eco-towns]], each housing between 10,000 and 20,000 homeowners – up to 100,000 new homes in total.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/may/13/property.communities|title=New eco-towns to ease house crisis|first1=Nicholas |last1=Watt|first2= Jo |last2=Revill|work=The Guardian|date=13 May 2007|accessdate=3 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607083136/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2007/may/13/property.communities|archive-date=7 June 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
Brown also said he wanted to have doctors' surgeries open at the weekends, and GPs on call in the evenings. Doctors were given the right of opting out of out-of-hours care in 2007, under a controversial pay deal, signed by then-Health Secretary [[John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan|John Reid]], which awarded them a 22 per cent pay rise in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/brown-to-tackle-ps100-000-a-year-gps-over-pay-and-hours-6582209.html|title=Brown to tackle £100,000 a year GPs over pay and hours|work=[[The Evening Standard]]|date=12 April 2012|accessdate=4 June 2024}}</ref>

On 5 June 2007, just three weeks before he was due to take the post of Prime Minister, Brown made a speech promising "British Jobs for British workers".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jones, Toby Helm and Graeme Wilson |first=George |date=6 June 2007 |title=British workers for British jobs says Brown |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1553710/British-workers-for-British-jobs-says-Brown.html |url-status=live |access-date=25 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202121416/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1553710/British-workers-for-British-jobs-says-Brown.html |archive-date=2 February 2009}}</ref> Brown reiterated that promise at the Labour Party's annual conference in September, which caused controversy as he coupled this with a commitment to crack down on migrant workers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Russell |first=Ben |date=10 September 2007 |title='Jobs for every Briton,' says Brown in crackdown on migrant workers |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jobs-for-every-briton-says-brown-in-crackdown-on-migrant-workers-401873.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=25 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416222420/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jobs-for-every-briton-says-brown-in-crackdown-on-migrant-workers-401873.html |archive-date=16 April 2009}}</ref><ref name="BBCJobs">{{Cite news |last=Parkinson |first=Justin |date=16 November 2007 |title=What does 'British jobs' pledge mean? |work=BBC News |location=London |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7097837.stm |url-status=live |access-date=25 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002023829/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7097837.stm |archive-date=2 October 2013}}</ref> The Conservative Party, led by [[David Cameron]], promptly pointed out that such a commitment was illegal under EU law.<ref name=BBCJobs/> Other controversial statements made by Brown about migration included him stating that English lessons and taking mandatory community service should be prerequisites for being granted UK citizenship.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 February 2007 |title=Migrants should volunteer – Brown |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6399457.stm |access-date=1 October 2022 |archive-date=1 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001184722/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6399457.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the Queen's Speech to Parliament on 3 December 2008, the Brown government unveiled plans to introduce lie detector tests, based on voice recognition technology, in order to determine whether to accept benefit claims.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 December 2008 |title=Lie detector tests to catch benefit cheats |url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/dec/03/queeens-speech-benefit-cheats-fraud |access-date=1 October 2022 |first=Patrick |last=Wintour| authorlink=Patrick Wintour|website=The Guardian |archive-date=5 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005201448/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/dec/03/queeens-speech-benefit-cheats-fraud |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite having spent £2.4 million on these tests, trials performed by the [[Department for Work and Pensions]] showed that they were inaccurate approximately four of every seven times they were used.<ref>{{Cite web |date=19 March 2009 |title=Government data shows £2.4m 'lie detection' didn't work in 4 of 7 trials |url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2009/mar/19/dwp-voice-risk-analysis-statistics |access-date=1 October 2022 |first=Charles|last=Arthur|website=The Guardian |archive-date=4 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004152736/https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2009/mar/19/dwp-voice-risk-analysis-statistics |url-status=live }}</ref>