I’ve a huge amount of respect for Brown, both in his role during the 2008 financial crisis and his work since leaving Downing Street

BUT there’s no question he bottled the chance of going to the electorate in early 2008, a few months after moving into No.10, when he was riding high in the polls

February 22, 2026 - 15:56 UTC

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Had he done so it’s almost certain he’d have won, keeping the Tories out for another 5 years and allowing time to properly manage the fallout from the financial meltdown that was coming

Cameron, on the other hand, would’ve been toast along with his brand of “compassionate conservatism”
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So most likely the Tories would’ve swung back to the right sooner, quite possibly keeping them out for even longer. They might even have split, with the UKIP types heading over to Farage. Certainly Brexit wouldn’t have happened

I often think that PMs are as defined by the decisions they don’t make
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