British PM Inviting 'Fiscal Crisis'?

Ensconced in a financial scandal that has all of Downing Street pointing fingers, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown may not be a liability just to himself and his Conservative party — The Daily Telegraph reports that he's a liability to his nation's economy, too. Writer Richard Blackden explains, "Investors have so far assumed that the Conversative Party will win the next general election with a large enough parliamentary majority to drive through cuts in public spending. The possibility of Mr. Brown being ousted before a general election jeopardizes that." Analysts argue that the possibility of a Conservative loss or a hung parliament could cause investors and ratings agencies to "lose patience." Ratings agency Standard & Poor has already threatened to toss Britain out of their most creditworthy nations list.