Cameron could block Brown’s bid to head IMF

PM indicates he will seek to block potential bid by Brown to become managing director of International Monetary Fund David Cameron has indicated he will stop any bid by Gordon Brown to become the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the grounds that the former prime minister “might not be the most appropriate person” in the light of his record in office. Brown has emerged as the favourite to take the £270,000-a-year role when the incumbent managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, stands down. The former prime minister, who was reportedly networking at a US conference of policymakers at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire – where the IMF was founded – last week, would need to be nominated for the post by the government. It is believed any hopes of getting the job would be thwarted if his own country raised strong objections. In a swipe at Brown, Cameron raised doubts about his suitability for the post, saying it was important that the role went someone who “gets” the dangers of excessive debt and deficit. The PM said it was important that the IMF was headed by “someone extraordinarily competent and capable” and praised Strauss-Kahn for doing an “excellent job” in the role. Asked whether the coalition would veto a move by the former chancellor to take the helm, Cameron told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “I haven’t spent a huge amount of time thinking about this, but it does seem to me that, if you have someone who didn’t think we had a debt problem in the UK when we self-evidently do have a debt problem, then they might not be the most appropriate person to work out whether other countries around the world have debt and deficit problems.” Cameron suggested the IMF should look to “another part of the world” for its next leader in order to increase its global standing. “If you think about the general principle, you’ve got the rise of India and China and south Asia, a shift in the world’s focus, and it may well be the time for the IMF to start thinking about that shift in focus,” he said. “Above all, what matters is: is the person running the IMF someone who understands the dangers of excessive debt, excessive deficit? “And it really must be someone who gets that rather than someone who says that they don’t see a problem.” Cameron – who insisted on staying on the programme to do the racing tips – picked a horse called “Stormin Gordon”, saying: “What I said about Gordon Brown, if you disagree you could go for Stormin Gordon in the 2.10 at Pontefract.” But he said he would choose Red Samantha in the same race. Gordon Brown IMF Economics Global economy David Cameron Hélène Mulholland guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 19, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.