Brown flies to bedside of his sick mum Bunty.

Byline: BOB DOW

CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown left the Labour conference early to fly north and visit his sick mum yesterday.

Elizabeth ``Bunty'' Brown, 85, is in hospital after hitting her head in a fall at home. Sources say she also suffered a minor stroke.

Mrs Brown's health problems are an extra worry for her son, whose wife Sarah is due to give birth any day.

The couple's first child, Jennifer, died of a brain haemorrhage at 10 days old.

Yesterday, Brown hurried from the conference in Bournemouth to Heathrow, where a flight to Aberdeen had been delayed to wait for him.

He arrived in Aberdeen at 6 pm and was driven to the War Memorial Hospital in his mum's home village of Insch. When asked by reporters how Mrs Brown was, the Chancellor said: ``Very well.''

A source close to the family said: ``Everyone was concerned about Bunty's accident but it was not as serious as we first thought.

``Gordon wanted to be with his mum because he might not get back up to Scotland after the baby arrives.

``He wants to be there for Sarah when the baby is born but he also really wanted to make sure his mother is OK.

``He worries about her constantly. This trip is to set both their minds at ease.''

Mrs Brown's husband, the Reverend John Brown, died in 1998.

CAPTION(S):

VISIT: Bunty and Gordon Brown