A day after Tony Blair announced his plans to resign as British PM, attention has turned to his most likely successor Gordon Brown. Mr Blair said the chancellor had "what it takes to lead the Labour Party and indeed the country with distinction". This report from Jon Devitt:

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The surest in British politics at the moment is that Gordon Brown - the man who's been in of Britain's economy for the last ten years - will the next prime minister. Mr Brown's on economic matters are well established and internationally he's known among ministers for his grasp of detail and his intellectual .

He understands the importance of Britain's alliance with the United States, but will want to subtly himself from President Bush. When asked in an for Time magazine if the president was a man he could do with, Mr Brown was rather non-committal. His allies are to be found among Mr Bush's political in the Democrat party.

On Europe he's known to be about further EU integration and worked to Britain joining the currency, the Euro. He's barely his frustration at European , but is thought to be an of Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel.

In other areas he's been reticent about his policies. In fact one of the main of Mr Brown is that the last ten years he's been adept at avoiding association with some of Mr Blair's more decisions. Domestically Mr Brown is likely to his style as both more frugal and more transparent than before. of Tony Blair are that he'll take the party back towards its more socialist . Opinion polls suggest that the British is wary of Mr Brown and a by a former official that he is "" in his style didn't help. The public are to love Gordon Brown but they may him.