who would be prime minister if gordon brown had died on the way to the palace to meet Queen\?

Question

tony blair stood down as prime minister and then we had no prime minister for bout 20mins til gordon brown went to the palace. But what would happen if somethin happened to him on his way there? who would be prime minister then? Would labour mps vote for someone else and what would happen in this time? hadnt john prescott(deputy) also resigned?

Answer 1

Harriet Harman - the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party would have been invited to form a government.

UPDATE

just came across this on the BBC News website on who would become PM in the circumstances described:

"Tony Blair, says constitutional expert Lord St John of Fawsley, because technically he becomes acting-prime minister until his successor formally accepts the post."

Answer 2

The Prime Minister is appointed by Parliament...it isnt like someone is next in line like if the Queen were to die, then Prince Charles would be King...it's not that simple...It just so happens that Parliament thought that Gordon Brown was the best man for the job....who knows who would be after that...had you ever heard of Gordon Brown prior to Blair stepping down??? I hadnt...

Answer 3

I'll do it make me prime minister and we will wait for america to leave and take Iraq for ourselves. All the oil man we will all br rich and petrol prices will be slashed.

I'll use the revenue to increase salaries for Nurses and teachers so we can actually get people that can do the jobs. I will also give power back to teachers to discipline kids so they leave school with some self respect.

Then I will implement a policy that we only accept immigration where they provide skills that arent already here. Raise minimum wage to a level inline with the cost of living. Implement a new strategy to renationalise our energy resources and build new council housing and implement new taxes to stop the rich owning all the property and profiting from those who can not afford to buy their own house through the rental system.

Then I will abolish the parlimentary system I declare myself Lord Chancellor of the empire. I will also make all forms of prejudice a criminal offence even those such as sexism based on religious beliefs immigrants that do not follow these laws will be deported.

I will remove speed cameras and reopen the mines and make criminal work in them then sell the coal to other countries and use the revenue to build renewable energy source powerplants such as wind farms.

Then I will take back Scotland and Wales and implement a hundred year non-loyalty tax of an additional 5% of their income.

Answer 4

Acutally, isn't there already a brief period of time between the resignation of one PM and the moment when Her Majesty asks the new one to form a government when there is NO PM?

I'd guess that the job would fall to highest-ranked MP if something happened that required the PM's action while there was no formal PM... but that's just a guess. I don't know enough about British government.

Answer 5

Most likely to have been Jack Straw (soon expected to be Deputy Prime Minister).

Maybe Tony Blair gets temporarily reappointed?

Answer 6

Constitutionally, Two Jags was still 2nd worst till Gordon Grabbit took over. At that said moment Harriet immediately had two roles. The first was to step in should Mr Grabbit spontaneously combust or what ever,the second role is that she is also the Chief Domestic Controller [ Officer Commanding Kitchen and Bedroom] at which ever posh house she is given at our expense.

Answer 7

Another leader of the Labour party. Until then the Lord President of the Privy Council or the Speaker of the House of Commons.

Answer 8

Harriet Harman, as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, would have acted up until a leadership contest could be arranged.

Answer 9

It would have to be Prescott - no new deputy Prime Minister has been appointed.

Answer 10

Ah - but what if the Queen had died during that vital 65 minutes ....?