Brown: Starmer a man of integrity but faces serious task amid leadership speculation<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n
As speculation over <\/a>Starmer\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> future as prime minister continues<\/a>, Brown<\/strong> has come to his defence, saying he is \u201ca man of integrity\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n But he acknowledged that Starmer is facing a \u201cserious\u201d<\/strong> battle to keep his job.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, there\u2019s always speculation. It happened to me, it happened to Tony Blair. It happens to everybody about how their future should be gauged,\u201d he told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Today programme.<\/p>\n \u201cBut this is serious, and the task is very clear. The task is we\u2019ve got to clean up the system, a total clean-up of the system, an end to the corruption and unethical behaviour. And if we don\u2019t do it, we\u2019ll pay a heavy price.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if Starmer was the right man to take the country forward, he said: \u201cI can look in his eyes and I can see that he is a man of integrity.<\/strong> He wants to do the right things.<\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps he\u2019s been too slow to do the right things, but he must do the right things now, and let\u2019s judge what he does, on what happens in the next few months when he tries to, and I believe (he) will try, to clean up the system.\u201d<\/p>\n