Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Gordon Brown 'not most appropriate person' to head IMF, says Cameron

Labour leader Ed Miliband comes to predecessor's defence after PM indicates he will seek to block potential bid to become managing director of International Monetary Fund

The Labour leader, Ed Miliband, accused David Cameron of "jumping the gun" after the prime minister indicated he would block any attempt by Gordon Brown to become the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Miliband rallied to Brown's defence after Cameron suggested that the former prime minister "might not be the most appropriate person" for the job in the light of his record in office.
Cameron said it was important that the role went to someone who "gets" the dangers of excessive debt and deficit.
Brown has emerged as the favourite to take the £270,000-a-year role when the incumbent managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, stands down.
The former chancellor, who was reportedly networking at a US conference of policymakers at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire – where the IMF was founded – last week, would need to be nominated for the post by the government.
In a swipe at Brown, Cameron raised doubts about his suitability for the post, saying he was someone "who didn't think we had a debt problem in the UK when we self evidently do".
But Miliband came to Brown's defence at a press conference, insisting his former boss was "eminently qualified for the job".
"To rule someone out even before the vacancy has even arisen seems to be going some, even for him," Miliband said of Cameron.
He added: " Let's see if the vacancy does arise, but I think he [Brown} would be a strong candidate."
Miliband described Brown's record over the 2007-08 financial crisis as "outstanding" and blamed the budget deficit on a worldwide financial meltdown.
He said: "The government sometimes wants to tell you the deficit caused the financial crisis – I think they're wrong about that."
Cameron appeared to rule out Brown's hopes of taking the helm at the IMF earlier in the day.
Asked whether the coalition would veto a move by the former chancellor to take the helm, he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I haven't spent a huge amount of time thinking about this, but it does seem to me that, if you have someone who didn't think we had a debt problem in the UK when we self-evidently do have a debt problem, then they might not be the most appropriate person to work out whether other countries around the world have debt and deficit problems."
The prime minister said it was important that the IMF was headed by "someone extraordinarily competent and capable" and praised Strauss-Kahn for doing an "excellent job" in the role.
He suggested that the IMF should look to "another part of the world" for its next leader in order to increase its global standing.
"If you think about the general principle, you've got the rise of India and China and south Asia, a shift in the world's focus, and it may well be the time for the IMF to start thinking about that shift in focus," he said.
"Above all, what matters is: is the person running the IMF someone who understands the dangers of excessive debt, excessive deficit?
"And it really must be someone who gets that rather than someone who says that they don't see a problem."
Cameron – who insisted on staying on the programme to do the racing tips – picked a horse called "Stormin' Gordon", saying: "What I said about Gordon Brown, if you disagree you could go for Stormin' Gordon in the 2.10 at Pontefract." But he said he would choose Red Samantha in the same race.
guardian.co.uk

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