LONDON, Feb. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Gordon Brown, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer and Prime Minister Tony Blair's heir apparent, has now effectively started "dual premiership" with Blair, local media cited a senior cabinet figure as saying on Sunday.

Gordon Brown, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer and Prime Minister Tony Blair's heir apparent. [AFP]

    Charles Clarke, home secretary and a close ally of Blair, said that Brown has been given "unprecedented" licence to build the leadership while the prime minister is still in office, The Observer newspaper said in its almost-full front page story.

    Labour, re-elected to a third straight term last year, suffered a blow last week when one of its strongholds in Scotland fell to the smaller opposition Labour Democrats in a by-election.

    Blair, in office since 1997, has said that this would be his last term as prime minister, with Brown widely seen as his heir apparent.

    A poll for the Sunday Times newspaper said that 41 percent of respondents said they wanted to see Blair step down this year in favour of his chancellor of the exchequer.

    In the Observer report, Charles Clarke said he had warned Brown against appearing "just to cavil" with his colleagues, saying that it was crucial now to show he was a team player.

    Asked if Brown and Blair were now effectively running a dual premiership, Clarke said: "That's what Tony would always want, what Gordon should do."

    "To be a great, great leader, that requires (Gordon) to lead --he has to come out and make the speeches, make the arguments," he said.

    The Observer report said that Brown's new status as "joint prime minister" will be displayed on Monday when he uses a major speech on national security to disclose that three serious terrorist attacks in Britain have been averted since July 21 -- a topic that is not usually for a finance minister to address head-on.

    Monday's speech at the Royal United Services Institute in London will begin a series of addresses by the chancellor, stamping his authority across the government.

    Brown was born in 1951 and educated at Kirkcaldy High School and Edinburgh University where he gained 1st Class Honors and then a Doctorate.

    He was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer on May 2, 1997.He has been MP for Dunfermline East since 1983 and was opposition spokesperson on Treasury and Economic Affairs (shadow chancellor) from 1992. Enditem