Brown to take on unpaid development role
Friday, 3 September 2010 11:09 AM
by Peter Wozniak
Gordon Brown will dedicate himself to unpaid work on international development, he has confirmed.
Mr Brown, who stepped down as prime minister after the general election but remains the MP for Kirkaldy and Cowdenbeath, has announced his intention to join a series of aid, education and development initiatives.
He will take up advisory and board positions at the Global Campaign for Education and the World Wide Web foundation, with the specific aim of increasing use of the internet in Africa.
Mr Brown insists that he will receive no payment for his new roles, and will apparently be funding the work through the traditional route used by ex-prime ministers: speaking engagements.
A spokesman for Mr Brown said: "Gordon Brown's global work will focus on those areas where he believes he is best placed to make a difference and these new initiatives are a sign of his determination to do that.
"Gordon and Sarah have always made clear they are determined to continue to make their contribution to public life and these latest initiatives are a sign of Gordon's future priorities."
The former prime minister had previously hinted at some role internationally, with one of his few public appearances since the election being a visit to Uganda to discuss aid.
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