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KNEBWORTH - Gordon Brown has pledged to put "citizens in control" and end personality-driven politics if elected to take over from the charismatic Tony Blair as prime minister.
Launching his campaign to become Labour leader, Brown said his government would be a servant of the state, not handing down edicts from on high. It would listen to voters and not be afraid to admit mistakes and change.
"I do not believe politics is about celebrity," said Brown, whose serious manner contrasts with the telegenic Blair, often accused of putting style before substance.
"I have never believed that presentation can be a substitute for policy," said the long-standing chancellor.
"This is the 21st century progressive view: the citizen in control. Being served, not told, by government. A servant state," he told supporters in London.
Critics say Blair, blessed with a huge majority at the start of his rule, centralised power and bypassed parliament. He was also damaged by allegations that political parties nominated people for state honours in return for funding.
"Government must be more open and accountable to parliament ... in decisions about peace and war, in public appointments and in a new ministerial code of conduct," said Brown.
Britain would stand by its UN obligations in Iraq, but Brown admitted mistakes had been made and said the emphasis must change: greater economic development and political reconciliation to give all Iraqis a stake in their future.
Blair was essentially driven from office because of the criticism he suffered after he sent British forces to join the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
Brown now faces a difficult challenge of distancing himself from some of the government's unpopular policies, such as Iraq, that he helped shape with Blair -- and voted for.
DEVELOPMENT AGENDA
Britain pushed debt relief and international development to the top of the agenda when president of the Group of Eight rich nations in 2005.
Speaking in Knebworth, Brown pledged to fight for an education for the 80 million children in the world who do not go to school and to eliminate diseases such as malaria, diphtheria and tuberculosis.
Brown, who has waited impatiently in the wings for the top job, got the green light on Thursday when Blair said he would step down as prime minister on June 27 after 10 years in power.
Blair's resignation triggered a party leadership contest but Brown is not expected to face a serious challenge. The new Labour leader automatically becomes prime minister.
Labour lags the Conservatives badly in opinion polls and Brown needs to regain the support of the middle classes if he is to win the next national election, expected in 2009.
The economy has been one of Brown's trump cards but critics say the housing boom that made thousands of people paper millionaires has raised inequality and put property ownership out of the reach of many.
Brown said public services would be a priority of his leadership and he pledged to provide affordable housing for all.
Blair enthusiastically backed Brown's bid to become next leader and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged to maintain strong transatlantic ties.
"I am absolutely delighted to give my full support to Gordon as the next leader of the Labour Party and prime minister, and to endorse him fully," Blair told reporters.
Brown has stressed the need for strong ties with Washington but he will want to avoid being portrayed as President George W. Bush's lapdog, a criticism often levelled at Blair.
- REUTERS
