Brown intends to stand down

LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Monday that he intended to stand down as Labour leader and that his party would hold formal talks on a possible power-sharing deal with the Liberal Democrats.

Brown said he intended to "ask the Labour party to set in train the processes needed for its own leadership contest" but he would "play no part".

In the same statement, Brown said Labour was to hold formal talks with the Liberal Democrats, who are already talking to the Conservatives, on forming a government after Thursday's general election ended in a stalemate.