Gordon Brown: The Nixon of British politics or the man who saved the Union? Twitter reacts to former Prime Minister's Commons farewell
He pledged to go on fighting to keep Scotland in the UK
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Gordon Brown bid farewell to the House of Commons today and in his passionate valedictory speech he pledged to "fight, struggle, do battle and fight and fight again" for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom.
He won obvious plaudits from his loyal followers but it was hardly the same send-off that Tony Blair received when MPs gave him a standing ovation.
It was all rather dull compared to his predecessor's departure though:
The final appearance from the former Prime Minister, who only served three years in Downing Street, even drew comparisons to the impeached Richard Nixon, the only US President to resign from office.
And Mr Brown's poor attendance record in his final five years in Parliament was pointed out by quite a few, including this Ukipper:
Labour bigwigs who sat in the chamber to support their former leader's final Commons appearance included Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, Tessa Jowell and front-benchers Yvette Cooper, Michael Dugher and Ed Balls, who sat next to his old master.
The pair can be overheard saying "2.5, 1.5, 4.7. That's the aim":
Not everyone is coping too well with the thought that Gordon Brown will never appear in the Commons ever again. His fan club was out in full force to give him a good send off on Twitter:
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments