A defiant Mr Tony Blair last night rejected calls for policy changes in the wake of his party's European election defeat, insisting his government would remain "100 per cent proof" New Labour.
And as Labour's post-election inquest continued, the British Prime Minister was boosted by the election of the former general secretary of the party, Tom (now Lord) Sawyer, to the party's ruling national executive committee at the expense of a left-wing candidate.
Against a gathering backdrop of calls from trade union leaders and others for a refocusing on the party's traditional supporters, the Prime Minister told a Birmingham audience: "While I am leader of my party and Prime Minister of this country, I will never again have Britain forced to choose between a Labour Party that ignored the importance of business and ambition, and a right-wing Conservative Party which ignored the need for justice and compassion."
In a speech hailing 100,000 young people brought into the government's New Deal, Mr Blair said: "That is the New Labour message, and it will remain 100 per cent proof.
"I see the nonsense written in the media about the electorate, as though policies on jobs appeal to one section of the community, policies on enterprise and the economy to another. We were elected to serve the whole country, those who voted for us and those who didn't, and that's what we will continue to do."
Three members of the left-wing Grassroots Alliance were re-elected from the NEC's constituency section, while Blair loyalists claimed the other three seats. This represented a reversal of last year's result, which delivered a snub for Mr Blair and four of the six seats to the Grassroots Alliance.
Lord Sawyer topped the poll yesterday with 53,656, but was closely followed by three Grassroots members: the Tribune editor, Mr Mark Seddon, on 52,699; the barrister, Ms Liz Davies, with 52,644; and Ms Christine Shawcroft on 50,730. The other two New Labour loyalists, the newly-elected MEP, Mr Michael Cashman, and Ms Diana Jeuda polled 50,201 and 47,271.
Ms Davies, who was vetoed by Labour headquarters as a parliamentary candidate in 1997, said: "This excellent result for the Grassroots Alliance candidates reinforces the message of the Euro elections. The Labour government must take action to improve public services and tackle poverty. Soundbites and worthy sentiments are not enough."
Charges from two union leaders, Mr John Monks and Mr John Edmonds, that the government was neglecting its core voters were echoed by the ASLEF leader, Mr Mick Rix, who said one of the reasons the Tories were thrown out of office was that they had stopped listening to the people.