Gordon Brown

by Tom Bower

"Gordon Brown's arrival at the Treasury in 1997 was greeted by a stampede - officials of every rank spontaneously rushed to the door to cheer the new incumbent, excited about the change. As Master of the New Era, Brown created a matrix of relationships across every Whitehall department, and extended his influence to every aspect of government activity. Over eight years at the heart of government, he has retained his gloomy, brooding dominance, stomping about the Treasury while shaping the nation's finances, planning his party's election strategy and plotting - perhaps - his eventual acquisition of the highest political job of all. Brown is now more than ever a contender for the 'not ignoble' role of leader, but despite extensive newspaper coverage of his activities, his personal agenda has rarely been investigated and described.^ And in the taut balance of power between Treasury and Westminster Village, the moments of defiance seen in broadcasts and speeches have, thus far, failed to m