'Ask the PM' via YouTube
2008-05-19 14:12
London - Gordon Brown launched a YouTube version of Prime Minister's Questions on Monday, in an attempt to connect with younger voters and dispel opposition jibes that he is not in tune with the digital age.
Video questions can be submitted on any subject in an "Ask the PM" section on Downing Street's YouTube website.
Brown will answer the questions which receive the most votes at the end of June, but the plan is to run the initiative on a regular basis via the video sharing site.
"Politicians get a chance in prime minister's question time and other question times -- I think it's time the public had a chance," he says.
The move follows Brown's pledge to listen and learn after voters gave the Labour Party a drubbing in local elections earlier this month.
On Thursday, his leadership comes under further scrutiny when the voters of Crewe and Nantwich go to the polls in a by-election, with polls suggesting Labour could lose the seat.
An "analogue politician"
During his YouTube clip, Brown invites questions on subjects such as globalisation, climate change, the health service, jobs and housing.
"I am here to answer your questions," he says.
Conservative leader David Cameron, who has appeared on live webcam broadcasts from his breakfast table, has criticised Brown in the past for being an "analogue politician in a digital age".
Brown will also speak at Google's London conference later where he will address executives on the role of technology in cutting crime and improving access to education and healthcare.
You can put your questions to Brown at: http://www.youtube.com/downingst
- Reuters