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Brown: I was right to call off election
Joe Murphy, Political Editor11 Sep 2008
A battered Gordon Brown took responsibility for Labour's dire showing as two new polls forecast a wipeout.
"Of course. I'm the person who is in charge and I have got to take responsibility for what happens," he said in his final press conference before Labour's party conference.
He spoke as a new poll of marginals showed David Cameron heading for a landslide victory by a majority of around 150.
A second poll found that two thirds of voters feel it is time for a change of Government, even if the economy recovers.
Despite two new polls showing David Cameron heading for victory at the next election, Mr Brown said he had no regrets about backing out of an autumn 2007 election - a decision that most MPs regarded as a gaffe that sparked his fall in the ratings.
"I made the right decision last autumn," he claimed, saying he wanted to show he could lead the country out of economic difficulties.
"I said at the time that I wanted to be able get across the programme of the Government," Mr Brown said.
"My view is that it is better to show people that we can take people through these difficult circumstances and that's what we are going to do."
He sidestepped a question about whether Alistair darling's job was safe in the looming reshuffle and refused to speculate about when the next election would be.
Dismissing talk of a leadership challenge, he went on: "After all this summer talk we are down to business getting things moving forward."
A YouGov survey for Channel 4 taken in 60 marginal constituencies the Conservatives a 13-point lead, with 45 per cent to Labour's 32. Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly and Home Office Minister Tony McNulty would both lose their seats.
Labour would also lose Hendon, Brentford and Isleworth, Eltham, Westminster North, Poplar and Limehouse, Tooting, Hampstead and Kilburn and Hammersmith, as well as more than 50 other key seats. in each the Conservatives would need a swing of 7 per cent - and the poll claimed a swing of 12 per cent.
Reader views (3)
Is Gordon taking us through "these difficult times", or are we taking him through his. He after all helped create them.
- Harry, St Albans, 12/09/2008 06:12
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Yes, of course you were right. How could you even think of giving the electorate what they want? Far more important that you, and your cronies, cling desperately to the gravy train, whilst implementing completely ineffectual policies, that even your core Labour voters are turning away from in droves.
On the plus side though, the longer you stay, the deeper the hole Labour will find themselves in after the next general election, and the longer it will be before Britain forgets, and votes in a Labour government again.
- Ws, Manchester, UK, 11/09/2008 16:14
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Gordon, you bottling the election had nothing to do with leading the country out of economic difficulties, you realised that you would lose it - everyone knows that and if you can't be honest about that then how can we trust you to be honest about anything else?
- Matthew, Grays, UK, 11/09/2008 15:07
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