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Brown Has No Mandate Yet, Say Britons
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - A majority of people in Britain believe their future prime minister lacks a mandate, according to a poll by YouGov released by The Times. 53 per cent of respondents think Gordon Brown has not even faced an election to lead his own party, and 57 per cent think he should call an early general ballot within the next six months.
Labour leader Tony Blair has served as Britain's prime minister since May 1997, winning majority mandates in the 1997, 2001 and 2005 elections to the House of Commons. On May 10, Blair announced his retirement—effective Jun. 27. Current chancellor of the exchequer Brown is expected to become Labour's new leader on Jun. 24, and will automatically become prime minister after Blair officially steps down.
On Jun. 18, opposition Conservative leader David Cameron told his party caucus to "prepare", adding, "Very soon, the real battle in British politics will begin. Tony's going, and the phoney war will be over. The British people will have a clear choice, a choice between two different visions of society, a choice between two different ways of running the country, and a choice between the old and the new politics. A choice between us—and Gordon Brown."
Polling Data
Gordon Brown will soon take over as the prime minister. Do you think he has a mandate to govern Britain?
Yes, he does—he will lead the | 35% |
No, he does not—he has not even | 53% |
Don't know | 12% |
Once Mr. Brown becomes the prime minister, should he call an early general election within the next six months?
Yes, he should | 57% |
No, there is no need | 32% |
Don't know | 12% |
Source: YouGov / The Times
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,753 British adults, conducted on Jun. 14 and Jun. 15, 2007. No margin of error was provided.