I just love being a dad - Brown

The Browns: Expecting baby in July

Chancellor Gordon Brown has said how much he is looking forward to being a father again in July.

Mr Brown, 54, told GMTV: "I just love being a dad... it's just the best thing in the world... to read to your kid, that is the most fantastic thing."

He said that as an older father he was in good company, with men like Rod Stewart and Paul McCartney.

Mr Brown and his wife Sarah, 42, already have a two-year-old son John, who is said to be excited by the news.

The couple's first child, Jennifer Jane, who Mr Brown has said was an "inspiration", died aged 10 days after being born prematurely in 2002.

Mr Brown has said he could not listen to music for nearly a year after Jennifer Jane died, but he and Sarah had taken comfort from the thousands of letters they received from other couples who had suffered similar experiences.

Downing Street babies

After their son John, named after the politician's father, was born in October 2003, weighing 8lb 1oz, the chancellor pronounced himself part of the "happiest family in Britain".

Mr Brown said on GMTV that the whole family were excited by the news that John could be getting a younger brother or sister.

He said: "I don't think John could sleep last night, because he was so excited for some reason so we had a bit of a sleepless night... he knew something was happening and he got very, very excited."

Downing Street babies were once a rarity - Tony and Cherie Blair's son Leo was the first child born to a serving prime minister for 150 years.

As chancellor, Mr Brown is based at 11 Downing Street but is widely expected to succeed next door neighbour Mr Blair as prime minister when he steps down before the next election.

The man he is expected to face at that election, 39-year-old Tory leader David Cameron, is expecting his third child to be born within the next month.

In a recent radio interview Mr Brown was asked if he would look old in comparison to the new Tory leader. He replied: "I'm a father of a two-year-old child - I feel pretty young."

The most recent high profile political birth was the arrival of Donald James during last year's election campaign to the then Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy.