Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown stands down as MP

Gordon Brown is standing down as MP and that he does not intend to run again in his Fife constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

15:18 02 December 2014

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown officially announced on Monday evening that he is standing down as an MP.

He also confirmed that he does not have the intention to run again in his Fife constituency of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

There are has been rumors about his plans of retiring for weeks.

Brown, who was a chancellor for a decade, has been an MP since 1983. Since the last election, he focused on his charity work and role as a United Nations envoy for education.

In the last weeks of the Scottish referendum, he intervened as the polls tightened. In a barnstorming speech, he promised a package of major devolutionary measures in a move credited with helping the Better Together campaign win the referendum.

Brown always made it to the headlines during his time as a chancellor. He had the reputation for ruling the treasury with an iron fist and is known for his fractious relationship with Prime Minister Tony Blair. As a prime minister, he took charge during extreme financial turmoil after Blair’s exit. He was voted out of office in 2010.