In times of need, Starmer brings ex-Prime Minister Brown into the government

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• Keir Starmer brings ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown back into government as special envoy for global finance. Brown is to strengthen international alliances and improve Britain's economic resilience.
• The appointment follows heavy electoral losses for Labour in regional and local elections. In Wales in particular, the party lost its dominant position for the first time in around 100 years, falling behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.
• Criticism of Starmer is growing within the Labour Party. Opponents accuse him of failing to find solutions to the country's economic problems, while calls for his resignation are growing louder following the election defeats.

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The 75-year-old Gordon Brown stands - at least for Prime Minister Keir Starmer - for better Labor times. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer for ten years under Tony Blair and then followed him into the highest office in government, where he remained from 2007 to 2010.

After the disastrous regional and local elections for his Labour Party, Gordon Brown was appointed to the government. As special envoy for global financial issues, he is to advise the government, writes the Prime Minister in a post on X.

Brown is ideally suited to "work with our international allies to build a stronger Britain and strengthen our country's security and resilience".

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However, the move has been met with criticism even within his own ranks. It shows that Starmer has no understanding of the problem, let alone the solution, the BBC quoted an unnamed Labour MP as saying.

The British Labour Social Democrats suffered historic losses in Thursday's elections. In the local elections in England, over 1,400 seats were lost in local councils in various parts of the country. The main beneficiaries were the right-wing populists of Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, who won around 1,440 seats from a standing start.

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The election to the regional parliament in Wales was particularly painful for Labour: in its former stronghold, the party did not become the strongest force for the first time, but slipped to third place behind the independence party Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. Labour has dominated the political landscape in the former industrial hub of Wales for around a hundred years - that now seems to be coming to an end.

Starmer was already confronted with calls for his resignation in the run-up to the elections. He has been under pressure for months due to empty state coffers, low economic growth and the rising cost of living. In addition, there were a number of failed reform projects and scandals. Even after the election, there were calls for the prime minister to resign - but Starmer rejected them.