Gordon Brown's only challenger for the leadership of the Labour Party pulled out of the race Wednesday, making the Treasury chief a lock to succeed Tony Blair as Britain's prime minister.
Gordon Brown's only challenger for the leadership of the Labour Party pulled out of the race Wednesday, making the Treasury chief a lock to succeed Tony Blair as Britain's prime minister.
Member of Parliament John McDonnell, a former trade union official, announced he was quitting because he did not have enough support to qualify for the contest.
Brown's campaign manager, former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, said his team was delighted that the party was uniting behind Brown.
Officials for Brown, 56, said he would make a statement Thursday after a formal announcement by the party.
Credited with economic boom
Often described as dour, Brown has been credited for much of Britain's recent economic boom but remains largely an enigma, with little known about his political leanings.
He has close ties to Democrats in the United States and is expected to maintain Britain's strong relationship with America. But he has signaled that he would abandon Blair's presidential style of leadership by restoring Parliament's authority in decisions such as when to go to war.
The question is how much Brown will shift Britain's role in the Iraq war, which has divided the country. He has indicated he wants to devote more time and resources toward the creation of jobs and basic services for the Iraqi people, and has said he will make his first trip to Iraq in coming weeks to inspect the situation.
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