There was a time in mid-2008 when the 57-year-old Labour leader could do nothing right and provoked intense feelings among his party members and a large section of the British public following the repeated humiliating defeats of the party in by-elections.

But the economic downturn saw Brown, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his elements, and his political revival soon took off. In fact, many believe that if the economic downturn had not happened at the right time, it would have been difficult to rescue Brown politically.

Photograph: Reuters/Darren Staples

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