Do keep up chaps, I mean it's not some two bit election for the local Rotary Club or the guy in charge in the USA. This is the Mother Of Parliaments we're talking about.

So anyway, think yourselves lucky that you've got your constitution written down. We appear to make it up as we go along.
 
Frankly I think the British Establishment needs the kind of kick up the arse that Guttenberg and Copernicus did back in the day to received wisdom.
 
Bah. 
 
'Tis late, night all

Do keep up chaps, I mean it's not some two bit election for the local Rotary Club or the guy in charge in the USA. This is the Mother Of Parliaments we're talking about.
 
So anyway, think yourselves lucky that you've got your constitution written down. We appear to make it up as we go along.
 
Frankly I think the British Establishment needs the kind of kick up the arse that Guttenberg and Copernicus did back in the day to received wisdom.
 
Bah. 
 
'Tis late, night all

From The Guardian:

5.45pm: Here's a late afternoon summary.

• Gordon Brown has announced that he is going to resign. He said that he did not want to go immediately, but he said that he wanted Labour to have a new leader by the time of the party's autumn conference (ie by September). He accepted that he had to take responsibility for the party's poor election result. His resignation will make it easier for Labour to form a government with the Lib Dems. But he has now made it clear that he is going whether or not Labour remains in office.

• Nick Clegg has formally opened negotiations with Labour. This afternoon it became clear that Lib Dem MPs had reservations about the proposed deal with the Tories. Now Gordon Brown has slapped a counter-offer on the table. The Lib Dems could join Labour (and, Brown implied, the Scottish and Welsh nationalists and others) to form a "progressive" alliance. They would just about have a majority.

• The Tories have yet to respond. As I write, it is not clear whether this will encourage David Cameron to redouble his efforts to strike a deal with the Lib Dems by offering further compromise – or whether the Tories will conclude that they have been double-crossed by Clegg and that they should think again before forming an alliance with the Lib Dems.

• The Labour leadership contest is now officially open. David Miliband is the clear favourite. Ed Balls will certainly be a candidate, and Ed Miliband has not denied reports that he may stand against his brother. Andy Burnham is also seen as someone with an outside chance of winning. There has been speculation about Alistair Darling, Alan Johnson and Harriet Harman replacing Brown, but all three have in the past signalled that they don't want the job.

5.44pm: Here's the text of Brown's statement in full.