Brown rules out early election

2007-10-06 18:35

London - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has ruled out an early general election, his spokesperson said on Saturday, ending weeks of speculation that a vote could be held as early as November.

"I can now confirm that the prime minister has said there will be no autumn poll," the spokesperson said after Brown gave an interview with BBC television, key extracts of which are to be released later on Saturday.

The BBC's Andrew Marr, who conducted the interview, said after emerging from Brown's official Downing Street residence: "There is not going to be an election this year unless there's an extraordinary circumstance.

"He was pretty clear that there won't be an election next year either... The prime minister does not deny that he was thinking quite seriously about an election two weeks ago.

"He says this is nothing to do with the polls... but he says the point is that he feels he has to demonstrate how he's going to run the country over a longer term than simply the crisis-ridden years of the summer."

The announcement followed the advance release of a new ICM poll for Sunday newspaper the News of the World suggesting Brown's governing Labour Party was six points behind the main opposition Conservatives in 83 key marginal seats.

If the results were replicated at an election now, 49 Labour lawmakers, including senior ministers such as Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, would lose their seats and no party would have an overall majority in parliament.

- AFP