“Above all, what matters is – is the person running the IMF someone who understands the dangers of excessive debt, excessive deficit?”
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Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 to 2007 under Tony Blair. Brown was Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline East from 1983 to 2005 and for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath from 2005 to 2015. He has served as United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education since 2012, and he was appointed as World Health Organization Ambassador for Global Health Financing in 2021. In 2026, Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed Brown as a special envoy on global finance and cooperation.
politics · Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2007 to 2010 · politician · journalist · biographer · autobiographer · historian · university teacher · minister · also Gordon Brown, James Gordon Brown, J. Gordon Brown, HE Gordon Brown, Brown
Born 20 February 1951 · Q10648
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Gordon Brown on education and infrastructure in the Middle East and North Africa
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s current environmental efforts on behalf of Sarawak. While prime minister, Brown spent some of his spare time at Chequers, the house often being filled with friends. The Browns have entertained local dignitaries like Sir Leonard Figg. Brown is also a friend of Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, who says of Brown:
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I wish to start by thanking all those who have helped me during my time as a Member of Parliament. I thank you, Mr Speaker, for your stewardship of this House, your dedication to our parliamentary democracy and your unfailing courtesy to all sides, even when provoked. It is customary, of course, for the new Speaker to give up his previous party when he becomes Speaker. You, of course, had given up your previous party long before that. Let me also thank the staff of the House: the Clerks, the
- Quote
I have spoken today about what endures beyond anyone’s time in office and I want to leave here as I came here, with an unquenchable faith in the future—the future of a country that we can build and share together, a future in which we help shape the world beyond our shores, and a future in which we always demand the best of ourselves. That is a future worth fighting for.
202627 items
“It looks to me to be extremely small-minded.”
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“s current environmental efforts on behalf of Sarawak. While prime minister, Brown spent some of his spare time at Chequers, the house often being filled with friends. The Browns have entertained local dignitaries like Sir Leonard Figg. Brown is also a friend of Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling, who says of Brown:”
- #wikipedia
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Legacy obituary: Robert Gordon Brown Obituary (2026) - Burlington, NJ - Page Funeral Home - Burlington
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Mshale: Younes Bendjima Confirms Pregnancy Kourtney Kardashian's On Instagram [EXCLUSIVE] Gordon Brown (67C7YDusJH)
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Mshale: My Last Days Being Pregnant! VLOG Gordon Brown (mEhRpQIgup)
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Mshale: Hacer Los Que Hacia Jesus Parte 2 | Pastor Samuel Acevedo | Congregación León De Judá Gordon Brown (dnevkKbSDh)
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Mshale: A-Rod's New Flame: PDA Moments Just Months After Split! Gordon Brown (4YKI3gmDZb)
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Mshale: Toby Whitecaps At Thurman Munson 1.0 Gordon Brown (MJRsp9Oa3Z)
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Mshale: Post-Match Player Interviews: Morocco 4-2 Haiti Gordon Brown (ndozxXSDJZ)
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Mshale: ENOUGH | Mudlark Theatre | Thursday 20 - Saturday 22 August Gordon Brown (cvAsdci2X7)
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scotsman.com: Edinburgh International Book Festival preview: Lyse Doucet, David Olusoga, Anita Anand, Gordon Brown and more
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scotsman.com: Edinburgh Festival Diary: The anti-Israel protester heckling Gordon Brown at the EIF
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The National Scot: Gordon Brown told he should be 'ashamed' by heckler after event dodges Gaza
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Mshale: Ray Wang On How AI Is Causing DRAM Prices To Surge | Odd Lots Gordon Brown (py3aZW4Pcd)
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Mshale: Angel Reese X Atlanta Dream Vs Toronto Tempo Rematch! Gordon Brown (ZuoAY577rg)
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Mshale: Worldpower Gordon Brown (0GsAFIorze)
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Mshale: ¡YA HAY ACUERDO! CRUZ AZUL CIERRA DOS REFUERZOS DE LUJO Y JORGE SÁNCHEZ APUNTA A SALIR! Gordon Brown (H2hoGxJqcD)
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Mshale: LE SSERAFIM - Come Over | 2025 MBC Music Festival | KOCOWA+ Gordon Brown (4LYrJm5v8h)
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Mshale: NLCS Gm5: Crawford Makes A Great Play To Save A Run Gordon Brown (AVE6LjCdfC)
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Mshale: Jazz Rock - Turning Up The Dial On Mars | Orbitando 🎷🪐 Gordon Brown (W5zdGgjLdu)
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Mshale: Why Two Sisters Threw Themselves Into Traffic.... Gordon Brown (KDbAq7Igh5)
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Mshale: FIFA 14 IPhone/iPad - Spurs Vs. Getafe CF Gordon Brown (8ZKdm4ioBz)
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Mshale: Devices That Can Actually Detect Flock Safety Cameras Gordon Brown (POuTMwDVdR)
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Mshale: 10 Bathroom Details That Make A Home Feel More Expensive Gordon Brown (9t07gqZczq)
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Mshale: Inside The Set Of Heated Rivalry | Heated Rivalry Gordon Brown (jg6XcByyU8)
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer appointed Brown as a special envoy on global finance and cooperation
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20251 item
Snopes rated the claim “In a 2014 email to former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler, Jeffrey Epstein offered girls’ for sexual services to billionaire Peter Thiel, former U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Emirati and Qatari officials, and others.” False.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
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20243 items
Reported claimRated While some measures show an increase in child poverty since 2010, it is not by as many as two million children. At least one measure shows a fall. · Full Fact
Full Fact rated the claim “There were two million fewer children living in poverty when Gordon Brown left office.” While some measures show an increase in child poverty since 2010, it is not by as many as two million children. At least one measure shows a fall..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
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Awarded Order of the Companions of Honour (2024).
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Brown co-authored a pamphlet on child poverty demanding a multibillion-pound package to solve what he dubbed 'a social crisis'
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20231 item
With the creation of the International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd), for which he serves as Honorary President
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20201 item
Was designated "best of the best" in the Best Scot at Westminster category
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20192 items
Full Fact rated the claim “Boris Johnson said in 2007 that Gordon Brown should not have become Prime Minister after Tony Blair with no public vote.” That is true..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
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Awarded honorary doctorate (2019).
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201513 items
“I wish to start by thanking all those who have helped me during my time as a Member of Parliament. I thank you, Mr Speaker, for your stewardship of this House, your dedication to our parliamentary democracy and your unfailing courtesy to all sides, even when provoked. It is customary, of course, for the new Speaker to give up his previous party when he becomes Speaker. You, of course, had given up your previous party long before that. Let me also thank the staff of the House: the Clerks, the ”
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- #parliament
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“I have spoken today about what endures beyond anyone’s time in office and I want to leave here as I came here, with an unquenchable faith in the future—the future of a country that we can build and share together, a future in which we help shape the world beyond our shores, and a future in which we always demand the best of ourselves. That is a future worth fighting for.”
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“Across each generation during the long march of our country’s history, we the British people have always had to choose how we engage with the world. In particular, we have had to decide, century by century, how and on what terms we engage with our nearest neighbours in Europe. This generation is no exception. I acknowledge the current strength of anti-European sentiment in the country and I believe passionately that there is no way forward for Europe other than through reform. I have always i”
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“My view is that the hon. Gentleman does not speak for many Conservative Members, some of whom are present, and he should accept that Britain is linked geographically, historically, economically and culturally, as set out in the Bruges speech, to the rest of the continent. We cannot meet and master the challenges of the future for a country like ours unless we accept that co-operation was always desirable and advisable. Now, in the ever-more interdependent and integrated world we live in, that is”
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“I have given way once, and I have to get through this. There is no doubt that millions of our fellow citizens now feel more insecure than ever because of the bewildering pace and destructiveness of what seems to them to be an out-of-control and uncontrollable global economy. They are looking for someone or something to shelter, insulate, protect and cushion them from these bewildering and often alien forces that are on occasion taking their livelihoods from them. They are looking for someone ”
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“I have already proposed an English committee system that the hon. Gentleman should accept. He is forgetting the lessons of every other country in the world that is trying to hold together minorities in different parts of the country. They have to find a way of respecting the rights of minorities while upholding the majority. Nothing in yesterday’s EVEL proposals answered those problems. It is difficult to define what an English-only Bill is. If we take one possible definition of “separate and di”
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“I will finish the history and then I will let the hon. Gentleman intervene. When, in 1972, the Kilbrandon royal commission again considered English votes for English laws, it concluded: “in our view, therefore, all Members of Parliament, whether or not they come from regions with their own legislative assemblies, must have the same rights of participation in the business of the House of Commons”. Then again, in 1977, when James Callaghan had to revisit the issue during the first Scotlan”
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“I am going to finish. There is a myth that the Union can survive this new polarisation of Scotland and England. The myth is that it is held together by bonds that are of such long standing that they can overcome what may be seen as a local difficulty. I say to the House, however, that what may have been true in the aftermath of the second world war and its shared sacrifice has given way to a new world where none of our ancient institutions is strong enough or popular enough on its own to hold”
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“I asked for this debate on the constitution this evening because in the run-up to the election, when other issues—the national health service, the economy, national security and defence—will clearly be pre-eminent considerations, it is doubtful whether there is any other way over the next two months that this House can give detailed consideration to a set of constitutional challenges that, if not thought through or if mishandled, will in time threaten the very existence of the United Kingdom. ”
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“The hon. Gentleman has got it wrong again. His colleague the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart) was wrong to shout earlier that the majority of Scottish people wanted independence. The majority of Scottish people were clear that they did not want independence, and the sooner the SNP realises that it does not have a majority for that position the better.”
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“I will give way in a minute—<em>[</em><em>Laughter.</em><em>]</em> I am setting out my argument, and the hon. Gentleman will have to refute it. I have said nothing yet about the obvious technical problems of English votes for English laws.”
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“I will give way after this. I have to ask Government Members this: can you imagine Scotland, or possibly Wales and Northern Ireland, being enthusiastic about sending MPs to this place indefinitely if they have to withdraw when the real vote on the Budget—the consent vote, or the veto motion—is being taken on this central economic legislation once a year: income tax rates in the Budget voted on by a consent motion that <span id="393" class="column-number" data-column-number="393"></span>excludes”
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“Professor Bogdanor has argued that while “English votes for English laws seems at first sight a logical response to the English Question…it is in fact incoherent…a bifurcated government is a logical absurdity. A government must be collectively responsible to parliament for all the policies that come before it, not just a selection of them.” The reality is that EVEL, English votes for English laws, and this hunt for perfect symmetry in an asymmetrical world risk jeopardising the Union in th”
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20141 item
“I should not have given way to the hon. Gentleman as he has not read what the Prime Minister and the leader of the Liberal Democrats said, as well as the leader of the Labour party. It was not me who committed us to the Barnett formula; it was them. The Barnett formula exists to allocate resources according to need across the whole United Kingdom. Let us be clear—this is the issue at stake—that there is no country in the world whose Parliament has a first and second class of representatives. The”
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20112 items
Brown stated he had wanted the details of his son's condition kept private and that the publication had left him "in tears"
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In 2011, Brown stated he had wanted the details of his son's condition kept private and that the publication had left him "in tears".
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20102 items
Career landmark: member of the 55th Parliament of the United Kingdom (2010–2015).
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“And if you’re like me and a million more people who are convinced that the case for cooperation is greater than any case put for separation then I say to you: hold your heads high. Show dignity and pride. Be confident. Let us have confidence that our values are indeed the values of the majority of the people of Scotland. That our principles of sharing and cooperation are far better and mean more to them than separation and splitting apart.”
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20091 item
Was asked to step down by then Home Secretary Alan Johnson
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20081 item
Brown's government passed the world's first Climate Change Act, and he also introduced the Equality Act 2010
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200712 items
To reduce the basic rate from 22% to 20%, increasing tax for 5 million people and, according to the calculations of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, leaving those earning between £5,000 and £18,000 as the biggest losers
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“Brown makes pitch to lead Britain", BBC News online, 11 May 2007.”
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And Labour's popularity declined with the Great Recession
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Career landmark: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2007–2010).
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“This will be a new government with new priorities and I have been privileged to have been granted the great opportunity to serve my country. And at all times I will be strong in purpose, steadfast in will, resolute in action, in the service of what matters to the British people, meeting the concerns and aspirations of our whole country.”
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“surgeries open at the weekends, and GPs on call in the evenings. Doctors were given the right of opting out of out-of-hours care in 2007, under a controversial pay deal, signed by then-Health Secretary John Reid, which awarded them a 22 per cent pay rise in 2006. On 5 June 2007, just three weeks before he was due to take the post of prime minister, Brown made a speech promising”
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Under a controversial pay deal, signed by then-Health Secretary John Reid, which awarded them a 22 per cent pay rise in 2006
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“Brown pledges 'British workers for British jobs'", Evening Standard, 5 June 2007, p. 1.”
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Career landmark: Leader of the Labour Party (2007–2010).
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Brown was elected unopposed to succeed him as prime minister and party leader
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Career landmark: Minister for the Civil Service (2007–2010).
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Career landmark: First Lord of the Treasury (2007–2010).
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20062 items
Going to a higher level than that of Germany
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“s condition kept private and that the publication had left him”
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20052 items
Career landmark: member of the 54th Parliament of the United Kingdom (2005–2010).
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Brown became MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath at the general election
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20011 item
Career landmark: member of the 53rd Parliament of the United Kingdom (2001–2005).
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20003 items
At the age of 49, Brown married Sarah Macaulay in a private ceremony at his home in North Queensferry, Fife, on 3 August 2000.
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“Alexandra Frean, John O'Leary, Philip Webster, "Brown goes to war over Oxford elite", The Times, 26 May 2000, p. 1.”
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Brown was accused of starting a political row about higher education, referred to as the Laura Spence affair, when he accused the University of Oxford of elitism in its admissions procedures, describing its decision not
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19992 items
Introduced a lower income tax band of 10%
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2000, 2007 and 2014, he won the award in the Best Scot at Westminster category
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19973 items
From a technical change in the way corporation tax is collected, the indirect effect of which was for the dividends on stock investments held within pensions to be taxed, thus lowering pension returns and contributing to
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Career landmark: member of the 52nd Parliament of the United Kingdom (1997–2001).
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Career landmark: Chancellor of the Exchequer (1997–2007).
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19941 item
“Michael White, "The gift of tired tongues", The Guardian, 30 September 1994; Norman Macrae, "You've never had it so incoherent", Sunday Times, 2 October 1994.”
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19923 items
Career landmark: member of the 51st Parliament of the United Kingdom (1992–1997).
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Career landmark: Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (1992–1997).
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Following Labour's fourth consecutive defeat in the general election that year
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19911 item
“What has become clear is that Britain cannot trust the Conservatives to run the economy. Everyone knows that I'm all in favour of apprenticeships, but let me tell you this is no time for a novice.”
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19892 items
Career landmark: Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade (1989–1992).
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And was named Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer by John Smith in 1992
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19872 items
Career landmark: Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury (1987–1989).
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Career landmark: member of the 50th Parliament of the United Kingdom (1987–1992).
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19861 item
Published a biography of the Independent Labour Party politician James Maxton, the subject of his doctoral thesis
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19831 item
Career landmark: member of the 49th Parliament of the United Kingdom (1983–1987).
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19821 item
Defending a thesis titled The Labour Party and Political Change in Scotland 1918–1929
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19721 item
While still a student, Brown was elected Rector of the University of Edinburgh, the convener of the University Court
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19511 item
Born 1951-02-20.
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19004 items
Awarded Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
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Studied at Kirkcaldy High School.
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Career landmark: Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.
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Studied at University of Edinburgh.
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