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| 1951 | Birth |  |
| 20th Feb Glasgow Birth of Gordon Brown |
| 1969 | Labour Party | |
| Appointed Member of the Labour Party |
| 1972 | Education | |
| Edinburgh MA Edinburgh University |
| 1972 | Rector | |
| Edinburgh Appointed Rector of Edinburgh University & Chairman of the University Court |
| 1975 | Lecturer Edinburgh Univ Brown | |
| Edinburgh Appointed Lecturer of Edinburgh University |
| 1976 | Lecturer Glasgow Brown | |
| Glasgow Appointed Lecturer in politics, Glasgow College of Technology |
| 1980 | Editor | |
| Appointed Editor of the Scottish Television current affairs department |
| 1982 | Education | |
| Edinburgh PhD Edinburgh University |
| 1983 | Chairman LP Scottish Council | |
| Appointed Chair of the Labour Party Scottish Council |
| 1983 | Election | |
| Kirkcaldy Elected Member of Parliament for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath |
| Tony Blair and Gordon Brown first meet as backbench MPs when they are among the Commons intake following that year's general election |
| 1983 | Publication | |
| Publication of a biography of James Maxton |
| 1987 | Shadow Chief Secretary | |
| Appointed Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury |
| 1989 | Shadow T&I Secretary | |
| Appointed Shadow Trade and Indus try Secretary |
| 1992 | Election | |
| July London Wins the Shadow Cabinet elections |
| 1992 | NEC | |
| Oct Appointed Member of the National Executive Council |
| Oct Elected Member of the National Executive Council |
| 1992 | Shadow Chancellor Exchequer | |
| July Appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| 1994 | Death | |
| May Blair alegedly agrees that one day he would stand down in favour of the chancellor but Blair's supporters, however, say that no such deal was made |
| May Death of Labour Leader John Smith, Tont Blair & Gordon Brown agree at the Granita restaurant that Tony Blair should stand for the leadership |
| 1997 | Budget | |
| 2nd July Windfall tax on privatized utilities & new tax on pension funds |
| 1997 | Chancellor | |
| Appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| 1997 | Economy | |
| 6th May Chancellor Gordon Brown gives the Bank of England the freedom to set interest rates |
| 27th Oct Brown rules out entry before 1999 to the EMU saying 5 key economic tests are not met |
| 1997 | European Union | |
| 18th Oct Rules out a single currency for the lifetime of the Parliament |
| 27th Oct Brown rules out entry before 1999 to the EMU saying 5 key economic tests are not met |
| 1997 | Reform | |
| 6th May The Bank of England is made independent |
| 1998 | Blair Brown Relations | |
| 6th May Relations betrween Blair & Brown appear particularly strained when Alistair Campbell reportedly describes the Chancellor as "psychologically flawed" |
| 2000 | Budget | |
| 8th Nov Announces state pensions will rise 5 pounds for a single person & for a couple |
| 2000 | Marriage | |
| 3rd Aug Fife Marries Sarah Macaulay at his home in North Queensferry, Fife |
| 2000 | Reform | |
| 8th Nov Announces state pensions will rise 5 pounds for a single person & for a couple |
| 2000 | Spending Review | |
| 2000 Spending Review outlined a major expansion of government spending (particularly on health and education) |
| 2001 | Economy | |
| Brown sells 60% of the UK's gold reserves at $275 an ounce, later attacked as a "disastrous foray into international asset management" as he had sold at close to a 20-yr low |
| 2001 | Sale of Gold | |
| Brown sells 60% of the UK's gold reserves at $275 an ounce, later attacked as a "disastrous foray into international asset management" as he had sold at close to a 20-yr low |
| 2002 | Budget | |
| Increases national insurance to pay for health spending |
| 2003 | Blair Brown Relations | |
| Sep In a Conference speech Brown says Labour is "best when we are boldest, best when we are united, best when we are Labour", some see this as a challenge on Blair |
| Oct A new pact appeared to have been made by autumn 2003, with Brownites claiming Mr Blair would step down before the general election |
| 2003 | Conference of Labour Party | |
| Sep In a Conference speech Brown says Labour is "best when we are boldest, best when we are united, best when we are Labour", some see this as a challenge on Blair |
| 2003 | Economy | |
| 10th Mar The FTSE-100 slumps to an 8 yr low |
| 9th June Finance minister Brown rules out British adoption of the EU euro, dashing Blair hopes of placing Britain "at the heart of the European Union" |
| 2003 | Interest Rates of Great Britain | |
| 6th Feb The Bank of England cuts interest rates to 3.75%, lowest for 50 yrs |
| 2005 | Aid to Africa | |
| Jan Unveils a "Marshall Plan" for Africa, annual aid to double to 55 billion pounds |
| 2005 | Economy | |
| Jan Unveils a "Marshall Plan" for Africa, annual aid to double to 55 billion pounds |
| 2005 | Election | |
| Kirkcaldy Elected Member of Parliament for Kirkcaldy & Cowdenbeath |
| 2005 | Time Magazine Top 100 | |
| Brown is listed in Time Magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, Tony Blair is not included |
| 2006 | Economy | |
| An OECD report shows UK economic growth has averaged 2.7% between 1997 & 2006, higher than the Eurozone's 2.1% |
| The UK tax burden increases from 39.3% of GDP in 1997 to 42.4% in 2006, according to the OECD, overtaking Germany |
| UK unemployment is 5.1%, down from 7% in 1997 & lower than the Eurozone's average of 8.1% |
| 2006 | Election | |
| Dunfermline The Labour defeat in the Dunfermline & West Fife after a campaign led by Brown in a constituency in which he lives, casts doubt on his ability to win elections on his own without Blair |
| 2006 | Party Leader | |
| Sep A pressured Blair admitted the forthcoming Labour conference would be his last as leader |
| 2007 | Blair Brown Relations | |
| May There is a sudden outbreak of mutual admiration as Mr Blair endorses the chancellor's candidacy for the party leadership, praising him as "an extraordinary and rare talent" |
| 2007 | Invasion of Iraq | |
| 28th Feb Blair Announces plans to withdraw troops from Iraq, he says as many as 1,600 of the 7,100 troops stationed in southern Iraq will leave in the next few months |
| 8th Oct British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces that half of the country's 5,000 troops stationed in Basra will be removed by the end of 2008 |
| 2007 | Resignation | |
| 11th May As Tony Blair announced his decision to stand down next month, the chancellor's campaign team had already secured pledges of support from 271 of the 355 Labour MPs |
| 11th May Gordon Brown vows that he would "listen" and "learn" today as he launches his campaign to succeed Tony Blair with a series of visits to Labour marginals |
| 11th May The prime minister returns to his political roots in the north east for his swansong, telling supporters at Trimdon Labour club he would stand down as PM on June 27 |
| 2007 | Siege of Basra | |
| 8th Oct Basra British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announces that half of the country's 5,000 troops stationed in Basra will be removed by the end of 2008 |
