GORDON Brown is expected to stand down as an MP at the next General Election after 32 years in politics.

Reports suggest the former prime minister will make a formal announcement before Christmas, with sources saying he plans to focus more on charity work.

The move comes after Brown was credited by some with rescuing the pro-Union referendum campaign.

A close ally of the Labour politician is reported as saying: "He wants to go out on a high after effectively salvaging the campaign to keep the UK together in September."

Since his departure from Downing Street in 2010, Brown, 63, and wife Sarah have focused on ­charities, in particular causes in Africa.

He is also a UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

His departure is likely to provoke a battle among the party's rising stars for his Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath seat, whyere he had a majority of 29,559 votes at the last election.

Brown's former speech writer, Kirsty McNeill, is among those tipped as a leading candidate.

However, Labour's ruling national executive committee will play a key role in deciding Brown's successor, drawing up the shortlists for the party's parliamentary selections after December 11. Activists fear this process could mean more London-based advisers get chosen for prime seats at Westminster instead of local campaigners.

Candidates in the race to become the new Scottish Labour leader wished Mr Brown well for the future if he does in fact decide to stand down.

Former Scottish secretary Jim Murphy told BBC Scotland the issue was not discussed during their most recent chat.

Mr Murphy, one of three candidates for the post, told the Sunday Politics Scotland programme: "I spoke to Gordon during the week about youth unemployment in Scotland and the things that he's still passionate about here. We didn't talk about this.

"If this is his decision, it's entirely for him to make. I think all three of us would wish him well with whatever he does next, if indeed that's what he wants to do."

Looking to the party's future, he said: "It's the passing of a generation. The Scottish Labour Party is going to have to change. There are some really well-known faces through the generations who are now going to do other things.

"It's really a chance for the Scottish Labour Party to move on and we have an enormous responsibility to do that, because at the moment we're just not good enough and we're just not strong enough."

Candidate Sarah Boyack, an ex-Scottish Executive minister, described Mr Brown as a "colossus" of British politics and said any decision on his future was for him to make.

She told the show: "But I think you've got to respect his views. He wants now to do the work he's doing on charity in Africa. That has to be hugely important for the people of Africa.

"We've got to have a new generation coming through. That's one of the challenges of this leadership election ... who are the next generation of strong, impressive, well-known Labour candidates in Scotland?"

Leadership hopeful Neil Findlay said it was no secret that he wanted Mr Brown to have put his name forward to lead the Scottish party.

But Labour's Holyrood health spokesman added: "He's had a long and very distinguished career in politics and has been a great servant to the Labour movement. If it is true that he's standing down then I wish him well."