British Prime Minister Tony Blair has enthusiastically backed Gordon Brown's bid to become Britain's next leader and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged to maintain strong transatlantic ties.
Finance minister Brown, waiting impatiently in the wings for the top job, finally got the green light on Thursday when Blair said he would step down as prime minister on June 27 after 10 years in power, triggering a party leadership contest.
"I am absolutely delighted to give my full support to Gordon as the next leader of the Labour Party and prime minister and to endorse him fully," Blair told reporters.
The new Labour leader automatically becomes prime minister.
Brown, who has clashed with Blair in the past, kicked off his campaign for the Labour leadership by taking the fight to an opposition Conservative-held constituency in north London.
Brown is the only contender at present. No other candidate has yet won the backing of 45 Labour parliamentarians needed to stand for the party leadership.
His major challenge is to revive support for Labour which is trailing badly in the polls behind a rejuvenated Conservative Party under its young leader David Cameron.
"Over the next few weeks, I'll be meeting people in every part of the country. It's a chance to discuss new ideas but also to listen to people's concerns," Brown told Reuters on the campaign trail.
"It's a chance to show how we will meet people's aspirations, but also learn what needs to change," he said.
Washington ties
Brown has stressed the need for strong ties with Washington but he will want to avoid being portrayed as President George Bush's lapdog, a criticism often levelled at Blair in Britain following the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Speaking on BBC radio, Rice said she was sure Washington and London would make a strong team under Brown.
"Britain and America will always be friends, and I know that we will work very, very well with Gordon Brown when he becomes prime minister," Rice said.
Brown, a 56-year-old Scot, opened his bid in Enfield - a symbolic gesture aimed at recapturing the excitement of the 1997 landslide election victory that swept Labour into power after 18 years in the political wilderness.
He travelled to Enfield, on London's northern outskirts, by underground train. He spoke to party activists beside a red and white placard with children on swings and his campaign slogan: "Gordon Brown for Britain".
When Labour came to power in 1997, Enfield was held by Conservative Defence Secretary Michael Portillo. He became one of the most high-profile casualties of the election as Labour won over huge swathes of middle-class voters.
Labour has since lost Enfield. Brown's presence illustrated his need to regain the support of the English middle class if he is to win the next general election, expected in 2009.
"I think he has got what it takes to lead the Labour Party and indeed the country with distinction. He's an extraordinary and rare talent and it is a tremendous thing if it is put at the service of the nation as it now can be," said Blair.
The economy has been one of Brown's trump cards but critics have said the housing boom that has made thousands of people paper millionaires has raised inequality and put property ownership out of the reach of many others.
