Prime Minister of the United Kingdom office and should be addressed by the official title prefixed by "The Right Honourable" and not by a personal name. Although this form of address is employed on formal occasions, it is rarely used by the media. As "Prime Minister" is a position, not a title, the incumbent should be referred to as "the Prime Minister". The title "Prime Minister" (e.g. "Prime Minister James Smith") is technically incorrect but is sometimes used erroneously outside the United Kingdom, and has more recently become acceptable within it. Within the UK, the expression "Prime Minister Smith" is never used, although it, too, is
Premiership of Gordon Brown the Labour Party and instructed the party to initiate the election of a new leader. Brown's continued presence as Prime Minister was seen an obstacle to the negotiation of a Labour-Liberal Democrat deal. By 11 May, the possibility of a deal was becoming less likely as talks between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats continued. After a telephone conversation with his predecessor Tony Blair where Blair informed Brown that the election had shown that the British voters had lost faith in both him and the Labour Party and that the United Kingdom would not accept him continuing as Prime Minister. With