'Darling, it is entirely my fault!' Gordon Brown's legacy to Alistair and himself

Abstract

Gordon Brown's 10-year stint as Chancellor of the Exchequer can and should be tested. He claimed full success in his 11th and final budget statement. We find success to be more partial. We find an impressive record on growth, employment and inflation. We also find weaknesses on productivity growth, size of the manufacturing sector, debt levels, transport systems and housing provision; and serious shortcomings in policy on poverty and inequality. We see difficulties with the underlying growth model: persistent weaknesses on wages, hours of work, work-induced stress levels and the development of work-based skills. We see a need for significant policy change, but doubt its impending arrival. © 2008 Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.