Cameron pledges 'better times ahead' after becoming Prime Minister

David Cameron promised to build a new era of responsibility tonight as he arrived in Downing Street to head what he said would be a "proper and full" coalition between the Tories and Liberal Democrats.

Mr Cameron, who becomes Britain's youngest Prime Minister in almost 200 years, was finally given his chance to form a government after five days of extraordinary political wrangling ended in defeat for Gordon Brown - who was forced to admit that he would not be able to secure an improbable fourth term for Labour.

Mr Brown had been at the heart of government for 13 years, ten of them as Chancellor and the past three as Prime Minister.

He bid an emotional farewell to Downing Street - and to a job that had taught him a lot about human nature and his own "frailties" - before publicly introducing his two young sons, Jon, six, and Fraser, three, for the first time.

After 20 minutes at Buckingham Palace, where he formally updated the Queen on the momentous events of the past week and commended Mr Cameron as his successor, Mr Brown paid a farewell visit to Labour Party headquarters.

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Gordon Brown's resignation statement in full