Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Gordon Brown has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II invited him to form a government in a meeting at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon.

Brown, who has been Chancellor of the Exchequer for the past ten years, succeeds Tony Blair who tendered his resignation to the Queen earlier on Wednesday. In an emotional Prime Minister's Questions, Blair received a standing ovation from MPs and tributes from opposition leaders.

Tony Blair has led the Labour Party since 1994 and became Prime Minister following a landslide victory in the 1997 general election.

Gordon Brown was confirmed as leader of the Labour Party on 24th June after running unopposed in the recent leadership election. He is expected to announce appointments to the Cabinet over the next few days.

Later in the day, Tony Blair resigned his parliamentary seat for the constituency of Sedgefield to become an envoy to the Middle East for the Quartet, the nations and entities involved in seeking a resolution in the Middle East peace process (the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia).