UK’s Brown dismisses decision of Sun tabloid to switch allegiance to Conservative Party

UK’s Brown downplays Sun tabloid switch to Tories

LONDON — Prime Minister Gordon Brown is downplaying the decision of the Sun tabloid to switch its allegiance from the Labour Party to the opposition Conservatives.

Brown told the BBC during an interview at this week’s Labour Party conference that the British people will decide the election, not a newspaper.

The influential newspaper has supported Labour during the last three elections. But in a front page editorial on Wednesday, it says that after 12 long years in power, this government has lost its way.

The tabloid’s verdict is bad news for Brown, who is fighting hard to stave off defeat in an election expected for next year. His left-leaning party has slipped in the polls — falling to third place in one survey behind both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.