Brown: This is who I am
Gordon Brown refused to rule out snap elections in maiden party conference speech as leader
Monday, 24, Sep 2007 08:06
Gordon Brown has laid out his priorities to Labour delegates in his first conference speech as party leader.
Education and health were the policy priorities emphasised in the Bournemouth keynote address which sought to underline all the elements of the prime minister's political personality revealed in recent weeks.
Mr Brown described himself as a "conviction politician" driven by a "moral compass" and a hard-working ethic.
"My father and my mother taught me about family and the great virtues of hard work, doing your duty and always trying to do the right thing," he said.
"I stand for a Britain where we all have obligations to each other and by fulfilling them, everyone has the chance to make the most of themselves."
He described how "close friends" from school were denied the opportunity to progress in education and struggled to move upwards as a result.
An anecdote about a six-year-old boy learning to read through one-on-one tuition underlined the drive for greater education and also provided the prime minister with an opportunity to raise a laugh.
"He had a book in his hand and his hair was a little uncombed – which as far as I am concerned may be a good sign."
The need for a "new kind of politics" received a mention, as did his priority of "a strong foundation of economic stability".
On law and order, he proposed a five-year sentence for all those aged over 18 illegally carrying a gun and suggested "intensive education warning about guns and knives" in schools as a preventive measure.
The speech closed with a lengthy discussion of the NHS, which he made clear was important to him because of the surgery he required after an accident while playing rugby when he was 16.
"It was the skills of a surgeon, the care of wonderful nurses, the attention and yes, the love and care of the NHS staff that managed to save one of my eyes," he explained.
"The experiences we live through shape the way we think of the world. Experiences like these have made me the person I am.
"Like so many people across this country I have the best of reasons to believe in the life-saving power of the NHS - and the liberating power of education - and for making them both the best they can be," he said, before pledging to the British people: "I will not let you down."