British Prime Minister Gordon Brown rules out calling early election

LONDON -- Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday ruled out calling an early election, ending weeks of speculation that he would soon seek a stronger mandate for his government.

"I have a vision for change in Britain, and I want to show people how in government we're implementing it," Brown told the British Broadcasting Corp. "I'll not be calling an election."

His announcement comes after opinion polls this week showed the main opposition Conservatives closing the gap with Brown's Labour Party.

Brown replaced Tony Blair as premier in June, and does not have to call an election until May 2010. But there has been widespread speculation that he would call an early election to seek his own, five-year mandate and to increase Labour's majority in Parliament.

Early election talk intensified after Brown made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Tuesday and said British forces there would be cut by 1,000 by Christmas.