It might have come as a surprise to his constituents but Gordon Brown has described himself as an "ex-politician" - despite still being an MP.

The former Labour prime minister, who represents Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, made the comment as he took part in an education summit in the Gulf state of Qatar.

Mr Brown has in the past faced criticism over the frequency of his speeches in the Commons since returning to the backbenches.

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Taking part in a panel discussion, Mr Brown was asked his views "as a politician", at which point he interjected "ex-politician".

He was reminded by the host, BBC presenter Mishal Husain, that he was still an MP, which he acknowledged.

In the past year Brown has generated £1.37m from speeches and writing. But his office claimed that all of it had been given directly to charity or to fund charitable work.

Henry Smith, a Conservative MP, seized on Mr Brown's slip, saying that his presence at the World Innovation Summit for Education panel showed that Mr Brown "can't even be bothered to turn up to work" for his constituents.

Mr Smith said: "Today, Gordon Brown joked that he is an 'ex-politician', whilst on another foreign jaunt. But he is still paid more than £65,000 a year to be an MP. Hard-pressed taxpayers are footing the bill."