Editing Gordon Brown (section)

==Personal life==
[[File:Gordon and Sarah Brown.jpg|right|thumb|[[Sarah Jane Brown|Sarah Brown]] attending one of her husband's speeches, September 2009]]
Brown's early girlfriends included journalist [[Sheena McDonald]] and [[Margareta of Romania|Princess Margarita]], the eldest daughter of exiled [[King Michael of Romania]].<ref name="GBStory" /> At the age of 49, Brown married [[Sarah Macaulay]] in a private ceremony at his home in [[North Queensferry]], Fife, on 3 August 2000.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 August 2000 |title=Gordon and Sarah wed at home |work=BBC News |location=London |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/864413.stm |url-status=live |access-date=23 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103173858/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/864413.stm |archive-date=3 January 2008}}</ref> A daughter, Jennifer Jane, was born prematurely on 28 December 2001; she died on 7 January 2002, one day after experiencing a [[brain haemorrhage]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Cramb |first1=Auslan |last2=Peterkin |first2=Tom |date=8 January 2002 |title=Jennifer dies in their arms |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1380699/Jennifer-dies-in-their-arms.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301210857/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1380699/Jennifer-dies-in-their-arms.html |archive-date=1 March 2009}}</ref> The couple have two sons, John Macaulay (born 17 October 2003)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morrison |first=Jenny |date=23 April 2004 |title=Chancellor's daughter remembered at christening service |work=The Scotsman |location=Edinburgh |url=http://news.scotsman.com/gordonbrownsfamily/Chancellors-daughter-remembered-at-christening.2522714.jp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109125644/http://news.scotsman.com/gordonbrownsfamily/Chancellors-daughter-remembered-at-christening.2522714.jp |archive-date=9 January 2009}}</ref> and (James) Fraser (born on 18 July 2006). In November 2006, Fraser was diagnosed with [[cystic fibrosis]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 November 2006 |title=Brown's son has cystic fibrosis |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6157891.stm |url-status=live |access-date=13 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100503072016/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6157891.stm |archive-date=3 May 2010}}</ref> ''[[The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun]]'' had learned of the situation in 2006 and published the story. In 2011, Brown stated he had wanted the details of his son's condition kept private and that the publication had left him "in tears".<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 July 2011 |title=Gordon Brown attacks News International tactics |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14119225 |url-status=live |access-date=12 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712112134/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14119225 |archive-date=12 July 2011}}</ref> The ''Sun'' said they approached Brown and that discussion occurred with his colleagues who provided quotes to use in the article.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 July 2011 |title=Guardian apologises to the Sun over Gordon Brown story |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14164756 |url-status=live |access-date=17 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716221206/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-14164756 |archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref>

Sarah Brown rarely made official appearances, whether with or without her husband.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Pierce |first1=Andrew |last2=Cramb |first2=Auslan |date=12 May 2007 |title=Wife will seek to stay out of the limelight |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1551301/Wife-will-seek-to-stay-out-of-the-limelight.html |url-status=live |access-date=10 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207180408/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1551301/Wife-will-seek-to-stay-out-of-the-limelight.html |archive-date=7 December 2008}}</ref> She is patron of several charities and has written articles for national newspapers related to this.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Sarah |author-link=Sarah Jane Brown |date=11 November 2006 |title=Why I want you to get behind Maggie's |work=The Scotsman |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/maggiescentre/Why-I-want-you-to.2825970.jp |url-status=live |access-date=25 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206004133/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/maggiescentre/Why-I-want-you-to.2825970.jp |archive-date=6 December 2008}}</ref> At the 2008 Labour Party Conference, Sarah caused surprise by taking to the stage to introduce her husband for his keynote address.<ref>{{Cite news |date=23 September 2008 |title=Sarah Brown steps into spotlight |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7632115.stm |url-status=live |access-date=30 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926034045/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7632115.stm |archive-date=26 September 2008}}</ref> After that, her public profile increased.<ref name="BBC News 17 July 2009">{{Cite news |last=Vaidyanathan |first=Rajini |date=17 July 2009 |title=Glamorous Life of the PM's Wife |work=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8155377.stm |url-status=live |access-date=14 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720080104/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8155377.stm |archive-date=20 July 2009}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=July 2020}}

Brown has two brothers, John Brown and [[Andrew Brown (media strategist)|Andrew Brown]]. Andrew has been Head of Media Relations in the UK for the French-owned utility company [[EDF Energy]] since 2004.<ref name="guardian.co.uk">{{Cite news |last=Terry Macalister |date=11 July 2006 |title=The powerful business of promoting a nuclear future |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/jul/11/greenpolitics.nuclearindustry1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206085522/http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2006/jul/11/greenpolitics.nuclearindustry1 |archive-date=6 December 2008}}</ref> Brown is also the brother-in-law of environmental journalist [[Clare Rewcastle Brown]]; he wrote a piece for ''The Independent'' supporting Clare's current environmental efforts on behalf of [[Sarawak]].<ref name="Independent">{{Cite news |date=10 March 2011 |title=Fight for the Borneo rainforest: Gordon Brown celebrates the role of journalist Clare Rewcastle |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/fight-for-the-borneo-rainforest-gordon-brown-celebrates-the-role-of-journalist-clare-rewcastle-2237427.html |url-status=live |access-date=13 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312051457/http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/fight-for-the-borneo-rainforest-gordon-brown-celebrates-the-role-of-journalist-clare-rewcastle-2237427.html |archive-date=12 March 2011}}</ref>

While Prime Minister, Brown spent some of his spare time at [[Chequers]], the house often being filled with friends. The Browns have entertained local dignitaries like Sir [[Leonard Figg]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hipwell |first=Deirdre |date=24 July 2008 |title=Alice Thomson: ''No PM, However Dour, can Resist the Charms of a Stately Pile'' |work=The Sunday Times |location=London |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4386767.ece |access-date=2 April 2010 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204035759/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Brown is also a friend of [[Harry Potter]] author [[J. K. Rowling]], who says of Brown: "I know him as affable, funny and gregarious, a great listener, a kind and loyal friend."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=30 April 2009 |title=Gordon Brown&nbsp;– The 2009 Time 100 |magazine=Time |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1893847_1894201,00.html |url-status=dead |access-date=1 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503144803/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0%2C28804%2C1894410_1893847_1894201%2C00.html |archive-date=3 May 2009}}</ref>

Brown is a strong supporter of the NHS, owing partly to both the experimental surgery that saved the sight in his right eye after his retina became detached, and the care he and Sarah Brown received when their premature firstborn baby died. It has been suggested that visual difficulties have contributed to Brown's supposed antisocial nature and awkward public manner. For example, both on a podium and before a camera, while reading "he needs to look slightly to one side of the paper to focus; when speaking to an audience or into a camera lens, he must remember to correct what would normally be an automatic tendency to look slightly askew to see clearly with his good eye". Brown's papers were prepared in capital letters and in extremely large type, resulting in his stack of papers at the dispatch box being noticeably bulky. Former staffers often attributed Brown's outbursts of temper in Downing Street to his frustration with his visual limitations. Nevertheless, it is noted that he has never allowed these limitations to hold him back and in fact attributed the shaping of his political character to them.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Gordon Brown's loss of an eye informs his view of the world |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=10 October 2009 |url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/oct/11/gordon-brown-eye-check-questions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228234013/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2009/oct/11/gordon-brown-eye-check-questions |archive-date=28 December 2013}}</ref>

Brown is a supporter of Kirkcaldy-based football club [[Raith Rovers]] and has written articles about his relationship with the club.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Gordon |date=6 August 2000 |title=My team: Raith Rovers |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/aug/06/newsstory.sport20 |url-status=live |access-date=2 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903013531/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2000/aug/06/newsstory.sport20 |archive-date=3 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Aidan |date=5 April 2014 |title=Gordon Brown, Raith Rovers' most famous fan |work=The Scotsman |url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/raith-rovers/gordon-brown-raith-rovers-most-famous-fan-1-3366228 |url-status=dead |access-date=2 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903082114/https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/raith-rovers/gordon-brown-raith-rovers-most-famous-fan-1-3366228 |archive-date=3 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=9 May 2009 |title=Gordon Brown: Holding true to my Raith |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/scottish/gordon-brown-holding-true-to-my-raith-1681757.html |url-status=live |access-date=2 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903014937/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/scottish/gordon-brown-holding-true-to-my-raith-1681757.html |archive-date=3 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Gordon |date=9 May 2009 |title=Exclusive: Prime Minister Gordon Brown on missing Raith Rovers' league win |work=Daily Record |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/exclusive-prime-minister-gordon-brown-1022039 |url-status=live |access-date=2 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903045714/https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/exclusive-prime-minister-gordon-brown-1022039 |archive-date=3 September 2018}}</ref>

===Religion===
A son of a [[Church of Scotland]] [[minister (Christianity)|minister]], Brown has talked about what he calls his "[[moral compass]]"<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 June 2007 |title=Gordon Brown: 'I joined this party as a teenager&nbsp;... Its values are my moral compass' |work=The Independent |location=London |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gordon-brown-i-joined-this-party-as-a-teenager--its-values-are-my-moral-compass-454560.html |url-status=dead |access-date=26 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118184720/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/gordon-brown-i-joined-this-party-as-a-teenager--its-values-are-my-moral-compass-454560.html |archive-date=18 January 2012}}</ref> and of his parents being his "inspiration".<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 May 2007 |title=Gordon Brown: Leadership speech in full |publisher=ePolitix.com |url=http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/gordon-brown-leadership-speech-in-full/?no_cache=1 |url-status=usurped |access-date=26 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128060123/http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/gordon-brown-leadership-speech-in-full/?no_cache=1 |archive-date=28 January 2012}}</ref> He has, at least ostensibly, been keen to keep his religion a private matter.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Craig Hoy |date=10 May 2007 |title=Profile Gordon Brown |publisher=ePolitix.com |url=http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/profile-gordon-brown/?no_cache=1 |url-status=usurped |access-date=28 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604203615/http://www.epolitix.com/latestnews/article-detail/newsarticle/profile-gordon-brown/?no_cache=1 |archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref> According to ''The Guardian'', he is a member of the Church of Scotland.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wintour |first=Patrick |date=24 September 2009 |title=Pope accepts Gordon Brown's invitation to visit Britain next year |work=The Guardian |location=London |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/23/pope-benedict-to-visit-britain |url-status=live |access-date=24 September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926172833/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/23/pope-benedict-to-visit-britain |archive-date=26 September 2009}}</ref>