Brown's visit to inform Queen Elizabeth II of his resignation allows Conservative Party chief David Cameron to become Britain's next prime minister by cobbling together a majority of seats in Parliament with the third-placed Liberal Democrats.
“I have informed the queen's private secretary that it is my intention to tender my resignation to the queen,” said a clearly emotional Brown. He said he would ask the monarch to invite Cameron to form a government and wished the new leader well.
After his brief statement, Brown walked hand-in-hand with his wife Sarah and young sons John and Fraser down Downing Street, where a car waited to take him to the palace.
Brown's resignation ends five days of uncertainty after last week's general election left the country with no clear winner. Cameron's Conservatives won the most seats but fell short of a majority, forcing them to bid against the Labour Party for the loyalty of the Liberal Democrats.
The Liberal Democrats held talks with both parties - and are more ideologically in tune with Labour - but the talks with Labour faltered. Many Labour officials felt it was time to go into the opposition after coming a distant second to the Conservatives in the vote.
