Former British finance minister Gordon Brown became on Wednesday Britain's new Prime Minister after a private meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

Brown and his wife, Sarah, left the palace after a 55-minutes audience, following his predecessor Tony Blair's formal resignation about an hour earlier.

The 56-year-old freshly appointed minister is expected to appoint six new senior ministers, after a decade of Blair's rule. Brown, whose formal title was Chancellor of the Exchequer, took over from Blair as Labour Party leader on Sunday.

In his first public comments, he pledged to build trust in the Government as he showed his determination to make a break with the Blair years.

Earlier in the day, Blair handed his formal resignation to Queen Elisabeth amid hints he will be appointed as a Middle East peace envoy.

"Some may belittle politics but we know, who are engaged in it, that it is where people stand tall," Blair said at his last appearance in the Parliament.

Blair became prime minister in 1997 after 18 years of Conservative government and after leading Labour to the biggest parliamentary majority for half a century with a strong public mandate for change. His popularity rating dropped considerably mainly because of his decision to support US President George Bush in his invasion of Iraq.

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