Brown Told to Stand for 'Justice'

Gordon Brown will become British Prime Minister Wednesday 27 June, bringing an end to Tony Blair's decade in power.

|PIC1|Blair is scheduled to meet the Queen today and depart from Downing Street after a final Prime Minister's Question Time. Brown is then expected to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace early in the afternoon, when she will formally offer him the role of Prime Minister.

As Brown prepares to take over the office, the Evangelical Alliance, which represents more than a million evangelicals in the UK, has called on the new Prime Minister to "stand up for justice, family and freedom of conscience during his premiership".

An official statement made by the EA said: "The Alliance would like to congratulate Gordon Brown on his new office, and to welcome his openness about his Presbyterian background and how his church minister father's 'moral compass' has affected his outlook on life."

Dr R David Muir, the Evangelical Alliance's Public Policy Director, added: "Gordon Brown has said the values he grew up with will guide him in his leadership - including honesty, family and respect for others.

"I hope these values will be evident through the policies he adopts.

"I also hope that his leadership and advocacy of a 'new politics' of openness and inclusion will encourage greater participation in civil society and remove some of the cynicism about politics in our country."

The EA, along with Christian Today, are members of anti-poverty coalition 'Micah Challenge', which earlier this week urged Britain's new Prime Minister to take a powerful stand to stamp out global poverty.

Andy Clasper, Micah Challenge Executive Director, said: "Gordon Brown has a great track record for getting the British Government and the international community to honour the promises they have made to the world's poorest people.

|PIC2|"Now Micah Challenge is challenging him to keep up the good work and make a positive difference to the world's poor during his time as Prime Minister."

The Evangelical Alliance has also praised Brown's previous commitment to overseas development and poverty reduction in Africa, but is calling on him to use his influence to goad other world leaders to deliver the Millennium Development Goals, which are far from being met.

Dr Muir welcomed the Government's commitment to prioritising human rights, and Mr Brown's promise that his party will govern "for all the people of our country".

But he appealed to Mr Brown that in keeping this promise, he makes sure freedom of conscience is not treated as a lesser right than others, or that religious belief is not forced to become privatised.

He added that he believes moral issues such as abortion and human-animal hybrid technology will continue to present a challenge during Mr Brown's premiership, and asked the new leader not to marginalise the important ethical implications of expected new developments in these areas.

"We also encourage him to steer clear of knee-jerk social and criminal policies, but to champion respect, tolerance, marriage and family," he said.

"He needs to deal with the causes of crime rather than the symptoms, identifying practical and effective early intervention strategies.

"I commend Mr Brown's commitment to family as foundational to a cohesive society, and challenge him to effectively support the family, providing better incentives for married couples and families and a better level of education to improving the life choices and chances of all young people."

The Evangelical Alliance has also urged its member churches to continue to pray for Brown and his Government, as they make vital and difficult decisions for the future of the country.