LONDON (AP) — Britain's business sector is awaiting the crowning of Gordon Brown as the country's new prime minister with some trepidation — much of the Treasury chief's manifesto remains a mystery but his "big bang" entry into his current position hasn't been forgotten.Back in 1997 when the Labour Party swept to a landslide victory headed by Tony Blair, Brown waited mere days before surprising almost everyone by granting the Bank of England independence to set official interest rates free of political interest.

With Brown now almost certain to take over as prime minister after Blair announced yesterday that he would step down on June 27, markets and business leaders are priming themselves for Brown's first few days in power.

Brown's advisers have kept the potential leader's plans close to their chest, ahead of a required official campaign for the premiership, but among the candidates for a headline-grabbing initiative are scrapping the Department of Trade and Industry, the body responsible for regulation, energy, trade policy and science. Its unwieldy structure has led to complaints it is out of touch and ineffective.

Another potential move would be responding to calls to cut the stamp duty on share trading. Business leaders have long complained about the 0.5 percent tax on all share transactions, claiming it deters trading and drives investors into untaxed alternatives such as equity derivatives.

Other possible announcements are cuts in defence spending or the building of new nuclear power stations.

In the absence of any dramatic early announcements, the business community will be hoping that the man who has dominated economic policy for more than a decade will relax some of the hefty taxes and red tape.

Brown attempted to smooth his passage with the business community earlier this year when he announced a surprise cut in corporation taxes in 11th annual budget as treasurer.

Miles Templeman, the director general of the Institute of Directors, has said that many of his group's members are nervous about what Brown will do when in No. 10.

"Business is more wary of Brown than Blair," said Templeman. "In the last five years, we have seen more tax and spend from Gordon Brown. Should he take over, we want a return of the free enterprise Brown, not the micro-manager."

Brown also used the March budget to pledge more money to help overcome global poverty and boost his green credentials. His desire to become a champion of the environment has already angered airlines who are unhappy with his decision to increase air passenger duty.

Brown is also likely to face an early test of his relationship with trade unions because of a series of disputes brewing in the public sector.

Despite generally positive relations with union leaders, Brown has been criticised in recent months over health workers' pay and controversial programmes such as the private finance initiative, which uses private money to provide public assets such as schools and hospitals.

Tony Woodley, joint leader of Britain's largest trade union, Unite, has made it clear he expects a more sympathetic ear when Tony Blair is replaced.

"We need a change of direction and policy and we need a leader who will listen a little bit more to some of the helpful comments we make," he said.

In terms of the economy, Britain has enjoyed its longest period of economic expansion since World War II under Brown's stewardship in the Treasury. He's been credited with breaking the "boom-bust" economic cycles of the previous decades and replacing them with his catchword of "stability" amid a financial crisis in Asia, a busting dot-com bubble, a global recession and record energy prices.

But there are signs that trouble may be brewing — house prices are soaring, and inflation has risen sharply in recent months, forcing the Bank of England to explain publicly for the first time since Brown gave it independence why consumer prices were so far off course.

Brown has joked that there are only two types of Treasury chief: those who fail and those who get out in time. But not too many others have gone on to be prime minister and his judgement day may be yet to come.