Rt Hon Gordon Brown
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Gordon Brown is a British Labour politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2010, having previously been Chancellor of the Exchequer for a decade. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential economic figures in modern British politics.
Born in Glasgow in 1951, Brown studied History at the University of Edinburgh before becoming a lecturer and journalist. He was elected MP for Dunfermline East in 1983 and quickly became one of Labour's leading economic voices.
As Chancellor between 1997 and 2007, Brown introduced the Bank of England's operational independence, oversaw major constitutional reforms and played a central role in the UK's response to global financial instability before succeeding Tony Blair as Prime Minister.
During his premiership, Brown led Britain through the 2008 global financial crisis, coordinated international banking rescue measures and supported the devolution of policing and justice powers to Northern Ireland following the Good Friday Agreement settlement.
After leaving office in 2010, Brown became the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and has remained an influential commentator on constitutional reform, economic policy and the future of the United Kingdom.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown has predicted that Ireland will eventually be united, just days after Andy Burnham said a referendum on Irish unity was 'off the table'.