LONDON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's standing will be damaged by a decision not to call a general election, predicted First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond.
"Authority, credibility in politics is a strange thing," Salmond said Sunday. "You can take 10 years to build it and you can lose it in a single day. And the problem for Gordon Brown is he has lost substantial credibility in the last 24 hours."
Brown's supporters deny Salmond's contention the prime minister "lost his nerve" after reviewing polls suggesting the rival Tories led by 6 percent in marginal seats, with the party drawing 44 percent against 38 percent for Brown's Labor Party, Britain's Telegraph reported Monday.
Brown defended his decision Sunday, saying he wants to delay a general election until his administration has more time to change Britain's spending, military and social policies for the better.
"The easiest thing I could have done is call an election, Brown said adding, "We would win an election, in my view, whether we had it today, next week or weeks after."
