By XinhuaÂ
London : Gordon Brown appointed a campaign chief as soon as he was crowned leader of the Labour Party, leading to speculation on Monday he may call an early election next year for Britain.
    In his first speech as the leader of the ruling party, Brown said on Sunday that current Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander will be the coordinator for the party's election campaign.
    "We are ready not to just fight but to win a general election whenever the prime minister decides to call it," he said.
    The decision sparked rumors among British media that a general election may be called ahead of schedule and could come as early as next year.
    The Times used the headline of "Election set for 2008", while the Sun said "Election in a year" on its front page.
    Brown's aides swiftly ruled out a snap election this autumn, making it in 2008 more likely, The Times said.
    The next general election was scheduled to be held around May 2010.
    Brown was officially endorsed as the new leader of the Labour Party at a special conference in Manchester Sunday afternoon, three days before he succeeds Tony Blair as prime minister. He now faces the challenge of leading his party to a fourth straight victory in the national elections.
    An early election would be in the advantage of the Labour Party if Brown could maintain the lead, boosted by the leadership change, over opponents.
    Latest poll for the Observer newspaper on Sunday showed that Labour leads by three percentage points over the Conservative Party for the first time since last October.
    A total of 40 percent of some 1,000 people polled said Brown would make the most capable leader, while 22 percent chose David Cameron, the Tory leader and five percent the Liberal Democratic leader.
    Analysts said that early polls could also help refute the opposing accusation that Brown lacks mandate to be the new prime minister without election.
    Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell said Brown should call an early general election to give him a clear mandate to govern the country, although the ruling party is allowed to change its leader mid-term.
    In mapping out his policy priorities, Brown demanded change for Britain to better serve people's rising aspirations, building himself as the right person to lead the country in face of new challenges, such as globalization and climate change.
    Brown called himself a "conviction politician", a man who believes in "duty, honesty, hard work, family and respect for others."
    "They guide my work, they are my moral compass. This is who I am, " said Brown.