Gordon Brown’s Partial Eyesight Gives Him Far Left Podiums In Leaders’ Debates

This article is a little old, but the issue raised is very relevant to tonight’s first Leaders’ Debate.

Gordon Brown will be allowed to stand on the left of the stage during the leaders’ TV debates so he can see his opponents with his right eye, the only one that has vision. Photograph: AFP

Gordon Brown has been given the right to decide where to stand during the leaders’ general election television debates after his political opponents agreed the prime minister’s partial blindness merited special treatment.

The Tories, the Liberal Democrats and the three broadcasters hosting the debates gave Labour officials the right to examine each set before deciding where the prime minister, who is blind in his left eye, should stand.

It is understood that the positioning of the candidates in the leaders’ debate was left open in the lengthy negotiations that led to a 76-point agreement between the parties and the three broadcasters, the BBC, Sky and ITN.

On this issue the agreement says: “The leaders will stand at podiums throughout the debate. The positions of the three leaders during the debates are to be determined by agreement with all parties.”

Sources familiar with the negotiations say the agreement allows Labour officials to examine each set for the three leaders’ debates, which will all be different, to work out where Brown should stand.

The position of David Cameron and Nick Clegg will be decided by lots drawn by the Tories and the Liberal Democrats.

“The prime minister has been given a degree of latitude by the broadcasters and the parties because everyone understands about his left eye. This means he has to stand stage left.

“Labour officials have gone away to examine the sets to see where he should stand. He cannot stand to the right because his good eye would be going nowhere.”

The source said that Labour officials did not need to raise the prime minister’s eyesight because everyone understood his problem.

“This was completely uncontentious,” the source said. “It just came up in the discussions.”

Brown told the Labour party in 2007 about how he lost the sight in his left eye and nearly lost it in his right eye.

“When I was 16, when I was playing for my school rugby team against our former pupils, someone accidentally kicked me near my eyes. And from the age of 16 to 21, I spent a lot of time in hospital as the NHS worked to save my sight.

“I learned that with a simple twist of fate life can change. It was the skills of a surgeon, the care of wonderful nurses, the attention and yes, the love and care of the NHS staff that managed to save one of my eyes.”