LONDON, 12 May 2007 — UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown yesterday stepped out of the shadows of the Blair era and promised the British electorate a new beginning without spin, arrogance and the cult of celebrity.

The chancellor launched his bid for the leadership of the ruling Labour Party and effectively the premiership of the UK following Thursday’s announcement by Prime Minister Tony Blair of his intention to resign on 27 June 2007.

This has to be the most one-sided party leadership campaign in British political history. Even his two most serious arch Blairite detractors Alan Milburn, the former health secretary, and Stephen Byers, the former trade secretary, have now thrown in their support behind the chancellor’s bid, ostensibly in the interests of party unity.

However, he welcomed challenges from other leadership contenders and pledged to lead a government “of all the talents,” refusing to rule out employing ministers from other parties.

Standing in front of his campaign logo “Gordon Brown for Britain” at the ultra-cool Imagination Gallery in central London, and flanked by his campaign manager, Jack Straw, the leader of the House of Commons and former foreign secretary, the chancellor pledged to tour the country to “listen and learn” about people’s concerns and to help unleash their talents. He also gave notice that he would visit the Middle East in the next few weeks “to learn the lessons we have to learn from the last few years as we focus on the best ways to achieve greater stability (in Iraq).” But at the same time he admitted that on Iraq, the government had made mistakes.

Trying to distance himself from the style of Tony Blair, he outlined his vision of governance aimed at making his government more accountable and consensual, assuming that he does get elected. “As a politician I have never sought the public eye for its own sake,” he declared.

“I have never believed presentation should be a substitute for policy. I do not believe politics is about celebrity. I want to lead a government humble enough to know its place — where I will always strive to be — and that is on people’s side. In the weeks and months ahead, my task is to show I have the new ideas, the vision and the experience to earn the trust of the British people.” The chancellor — relaxed and brimming with a subdued confidence — even cracked a joke that at least he had one nomination in the bag for his leadership bid after Tony Blair officially endorsed him as his choice as the next leader of the Labour Party.

Tony Blair, who until now had held back from endorsing his chancellor to replace him, stressed at a press conference at No. 10 Downing Street during the visit of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani: “I am absolutely delighted to give my full support to Gordon as the next leader of the Labour Party and as prime minister and to endorse him fully. He has shown, as perhaps the most successful chancellor in our country’s history, that he’s got the strength and the experience and the judgment to make a great prime minister. He is an extraordinary and rare talent and it’s a tremendous thing if it’s put at the service of the nation as it now can be.”