Blair-Brown deal

The Blair–Brown deal (or Granita Pact) was an alleged gentlemen's agreement struck between the British Labour Party politicians Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in May 1994, while they were Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer respectively.

It is widely believed that the two met in the now-defunct restaurant Granita in Islington, London, following the unexpected death of the Labour Leader John Smith on 12 May, and that Brown agreed to not stand in the forthcoming Labour leadership election so as to allow Blair a better chance of easy victory. In return, Brown would be granted wide powers over domestic policy in any future government led by Blair; it is also widely believed that Blair agreed, if he were appointed Prime Minister, to stay in the job for only two terms and then resign in Brown's favour. Blair would go on to lead Labour to a landslide victory in the 1997 general election. The existence of any deal was denied for many years by both men.

The existence of the deal was publicly dismissed by Blair, Brown and many of their associates for several years, prompting much speculation as to what, if anything, was agreed.The Guardian published a written note in June 2003 which, it said, outlined the policy areas proposed by Brown that Blair would commit to as part of the deal, namely a "fairness agenda" consisting of "social justice, employment opportunities and skills" under a Labour Government. In October 2003, columnist Tom Brown told the BBC that Brown had informed him of the deal the day after it had allegedly been made. Tom Brown said to BBC Radio Scotland:

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