Brown: I wasn’t ‘ideal fit’ as a 21st century prime minister

GORDON BROWN has admitted he was not the “ideal fit” as a 21st century prime minister because he failed to master social media and disliked the “touchy-feely era” of politicians talking about their emotions.

Writing in his memoirs, which will be published next week, Mr Brown said that public displays of emotion are now regarded as “evidence of a sincerity required for political success” and some leaders assume they can win votes “simply by telling their electors that they ‘feel their pain’”.

He said that for him “reticence was the rule” but acknowledged that “a sense of personal reserve can limit the appeal and rapport of a leader”. The former Labour leader said he had never managed to create a “good impression” on Twitter and admitted no politician can now succeed without mastering social media.

Contrasting the communication methods used in his era with Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, he said: “The Lady was not for tweeting. But I should have been.”

The memoirs, entitled My Life, Our Times, examine the issues he faced as chancellor and prime minister, including making the Bank of England independent in 1997, rejecting the euro in 2003 and helping keep Scotland in the UK in the 2014 referendum.

Among the personal traumas he discusses are the death of his baby daughter, Jennifer, and his struggle with almost losing his sight while in No 10.