Gordon Brown has announced he is to resign, opening the door to a potential coalition government between Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
The Prime Minister said this afternoon that he would facilitate formal discussions with the Lib Dems after disclosing that Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg had asked him for formal coalition talks to run alongside those held with the Conservative Party.
Brown revealed he would stand down as Labour leader before the Party’s autumn conference, and had “no desire” to stay in post longer than needed. He said he would ask Labour to organise a leadership election, so that a new leader can be in place by the time of the conference.
The Conservative and Lib Dem hierarchies had been locked in discussions since Saturday and seemed likely to agree a compromise that would hand Tory leader David Cameron the keys to
Brown said his alternative proposition was for a “progressive” government with economic and electoral reform its priorities. This would comprise Labour, the Lib Dems, and presumably also Scottish and Welsh nationalists and some Northern Ireland MPs, whose votes would be needed to secure a Commons majority.
In the announcement at 5pm he accepted the General Election, in which Labour slumped to second in its share of MPs and the national vote, was a judgement on his performance as Prime Minister.
