British newspapers respond to prime minister Gordon Brown's offer to stand down as Labour leader.

London, England (CNN) – British premier Gordon Brown's offer to step down as part of a deal to entice the Liberal Democrats into a coalition government with Labour rather than David Cameron's Conservatives provoked a mixed reaction in the UK press Tuesday.

In a statement outside Downing Street Monday, Brown announced he would stand down as Labour leader in the autumn and allow a contest for his replacement to begin now.

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Posted by: CNN.com Correspondent, Paul Armstrong
Filed under: Election •Media

Posted by: CNN Anchor and Correspondent Richard Quest
Filed under: Indicators •Markets

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One of the UK’s leading booksellers has reported a surge in sales for political literature linked to the general election.

London, England – This year's UK general election is the gift that keeps on giving for political commentators. First came the television debate that boosted the fortunes of Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats. Then there was "bigotgate" and Gordon Brown's embarrassing gaffe about a senior citizen.

 In the age of spin, where everything is so carefully controlled by political puppet masters, such surprising events have set the UK political landscape alight and created an air of excitement around the election not seen during the past decade.

The British public is clearly engaging with the political process. Now evidence of this comes with news that election manifestos – the documents in which political parties lay out their planned policies - are selling in record numbers, according to book trade media.

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Posted by: CNN.com producer, Stephanie Busari
Filed under: Indicators

The third UK election debate provided much material for tabloid newspaper designers and copy editors.

London, England – Gordon Brown looked like a mouldy cheese, David Cameron a fleshy buttock and Nick Clegg a scrambled egg. Britain's newspapers pulled no punches as they summed up the last of the country's pre-election leadership debates in typically ribald fashion.

With the partisan press in broad agreement with opinion polls that handed victory in the third televised encounter to Conservative leader Cameron, many dwelled on Prime Minister Brown's failure to revive his chances ahead of the May 6 vote.

And for some there was disappointment that more was not made of the now-notorious gaffe that saw Brown caught on tape calling a supporter of his Labour party - an elderly woman by the name of Gillian Duffy - "bigoted."

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Posted by: Barry Neild, CNN.com producer
Filed under: Debates •Election •Media

Birmingham, England - The view from the media pen, now dubbed the spin room during debates, was that the ‘spinning’ from the party faithful started shockingly early. There was a full half-hour to go on the debate, and there were the party pundits, telling us their man won.

There is a fine art to ‘spinning’ and here’s how it goes. First, say your man won. Second, say why your man won. And finally, third, keep a straight, serious face even though you know you sound ridiculous saying your man won.

Why is that?

The truth is, as popular and widely watched as these debates were, they may not have been a game-changer for any one candidate. All parties agree that during the first debate Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrat party, found his voice. And many British voters were listening for the first time.

But now, with almost everyone on this campaign looking weary and battered, the debates have been informative, but they have failed to really crown a winner in what is a nail-biter of a race.

We started the day wondering how Gordon Brown would atone for calling a pensioned grandmother a bigot. His line during the debate got a good laugh in the press room, ‘as you could see from yesterday, I don’t always get everything right’. But what has been so telling about this campaign has been that neither of his opponents mentioned the Brown gaffe. As many voters told us, they don’t expect any politician to rise above that kind of contempt. They want more from their politicians but have learned to expect less.

So it’s on to Wales and market day in the pouring rain, if the forecast is to be believed. We check out an old Labour heartland that still believes socialism is the way forward. And stay tuned, we’re told former Prime Minister Tony Blair joins the campaign on Friday. One week to go, countless tales to come.

Posted by: CNN Correspondent Paula Newton
Filed under: Debates •Election •General •Media •View from

Posted by: Digital Producer Phil Han
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UK Labour Party leader Gordon Brown meets with Gillian Duffy on the campaign trail in Rochdale, northern England (Getty).

London, England – The phrase "bigoted woman" is as likely to pop up in Thursday night's final debate as "no more boom and bust," "hard-working families" or "savage cuts," according to Ladbrokes, the UK bookies, after a media frenzy over a Gordon Brown gaffe Wednesday.

Brown was caught on microphone describing voter Gillian Duffy as a "bigoted woman" after she harangued him in Rochdale, northwest England, as he campaigned there. He later apologized profusely after saying sorry to Duffy in person.

But the damage appears to have been done.

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Posted by: Richard Allen Greene, The CNN Wire
Filed under: Betting •Debates •Election

Filed under: Betting •Indicators