Britain: Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, Britain's chancellor yesterday presented Labour's conference with a united modernisers' front in the face of warnings from union leaders and activists that they will lose the next election unless prime minister Brown - as he is widely expected to become - reverses much of the Blairite agenda.
As delegates gathered in Brighton for their first conference since Labour's historic third election victory on May 5th, the party leadership signalled its determination not to back down in response to a series of threatened defeats which the unions seek to inflict this week.
In backstairs negotiations on a day when the prime minister and chancellor both endorsed the New Labour agenda, party officials admitted the likelihood of defeat over the tax-funded National Health Service "privatisation" plans and possibly calls to restore some form of right to secondary picketing for strikers.
A vote to prevent the raising of the public sector pension age remains on the cards. But last night even constituency delegates chose housing and gay rights for their emergency debates over Iraq.
By far the most significant curtain-raiser to the conference was unmistakable signals from Mr Brown that he will not abandon the modernisers' agenda when he succeeds Mr Blair - probably in 2007 or 2008. In an interview with the Sunday Times he said: "The programme of reform will continue when Tony steps down because it is the right programme for Britain. Indeed it is the only programme for Britain if we are going to compete in the era of globalisation." And in his keynote speech to the conference this morning, the chancellor will say: "When commentators tell you the next election will be Old Labour vs New Conservatives, tell them the truth. The next election will be New Labour versus a Conservative party incapable of renewal." He may pay a price for his stand. After the culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, suggested that no party election is necessary when Mr Brown takes over, some delegates and MPs - who would have a vote in such a contest - openly challenged that view. They want a proper debate.
Mr Brown's unambiguous message also angered some union leaders. Derek Simpson, general secretary of Amicus, said that continuation of the Blairite modernisation agenda would lose Labour the fourth term which John Prescott's opening conference speech invoked yesterday.
David Blunkett and Peter Hain yesterday joined their Blairite cabinet colleagues Ms Jowell and Charles Clarke in anointing Mr Brown as next leader. The notable exception was the defence secretary, John Reid, who may yet trigger a contest.