Why we should wish PM Brown well… and then wait for the results

Mathew Hulbert tells us what he is expecting from the new Prime Minister.

''For those of us who have the welfare of the developing world and its people as a primary concern the new First Lord of the Treasury has good form.'' ''Last week he was in the US discussing Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur with President Bush. Of course words are cheap and we await the physical and practical outworking of them.'' ''In his first few weeks in the top job the former Chancellor has shown himself to be a man of skill, with a great grasp of political tactics and, despite the noises from some commentators, the ability to speak for the whole nation.''

Gordon Brown is tasked with one of the hardest political jobs in the world. He’s a bit like Morecombe without Wise or Dec if he was ever to split from Ant. In other words he’s the straight man without the comedy turn. Up to this point he’s been known for economic policy, serious speeches, and for being a thorn in the side of his former boss, a certain T. Blair (now to be found trying to solve the world’s most intractable conflict; for which we should all wish him well).

In his first few weeks in the top job the former Chancellor has shown himself to be a man of skill, with a great grasp of political tactics and, despite the noises from some commentators, the ability to speak for the whole nation. Certainly no one can doubt that his first month has been anything other than challenging. Attempted terror attacks, severe flooding across the country and even a potential outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

It almost seems fitting that in these times where government and citizens face major challenges that we have a man who’s not about showbiz, not about glamour, but about assessing all the information at his disposal and making a careful, considered judgment. Not that Tony Blair didn’t you understand, but he came to be associated with spin and all that many consider to be wrong with our political life.

For those of us who have the welfare of the developing world and its people as a primary concern the new First Lord of the Treasury has good form. As Chancellor he supported initiatives to help poor countries and those working in them to bring peace and prosperity. It seems this commitment will continue during his own administration.

One of his first foreign visits as PM was to visit the new French President, Nicholas Sarkozy. They both gave a pledge to do all they could to help end one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters in Darfur. Last week he was in the US discussing Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur with President Bush. Of course words are cheap and we await the physical and practical outworking of them.

But they must act, at least in the short-term, as some kind of political signal; that here’s a man who will commit himself and his cabinet to formulating policies that have, at the centre, the needs of the developing world. I hope that, allied with aid, there will be fairer trade - so that these nations go from being aid-dependent to emerging economies in their own right.

I hope that he will succeed in making not only the United Kingdom, but also the world, a fairer, greener, more decent place. Yes, he faces a massive challenge. We will surely find out now what ‘Iron’ Brown is really made of.