Manchester, England – Gordon Brown, the man expected to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister, strengthened his claim to the job Monday with a self- confident speech that gave the clearest picture yet of what kind of leader he would be.
Delegates at the governing Labor Party’s annual conference gave the treasury chief a standing ovation after the keynote address, which was seen as crucial to his bid to become party leader and was closely watched for signals about his agenda.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Brown’s performance was strong enough to scare off potential rivals, but in a party desperate to avoid a divisive battle, it seemed to boost his hopes of eventually becoming prime minister.
Brown set out a centrist vision that suggested he agreed with Blair’s view that Labor must stay focused on moderate voters to retain power, but he also sought support from the party’s left with declarations of his commitment to core Labor values such as social justice and fighting poverty.
“He got a cheer in the conference, but whether he’ll get a cheer in the country, I don’t know,” said Malcolm Perry, 67, a lawyer and delegate.
Perry said he worried that Brown would be unable to match Blair’s success at appealing to voters but felt better about having him as party leader after hearing the speech.
“There’s nobody else,” Perry said.
Brown opened by addressing a touchy subject – the sometimes bitter rivalry between himself and Blair, which flared this month and threatened to derail the party’s years of electoral success.
Brown has denied he was behind a party rebellion that forced the prime minister to promise on Sept. 7 to resign within a year, but most believe he has been growing impatient for Blair to step aside so he can take office.
Brown praised Blair effusively, calling him a visionary leader but acknowledged that their long political relationship has had its ups and downs.
