Gordon Brown has assumed the Labour leadership with a promise to "heed and lead the call for change" in Britain ahead of his party's bid for a fourth term in power, writes Frank Millar, London Editor.
And he has acted immediately to put his party on an election footing, announcing that cabinet minister Douglas Alexander will be his general election co-ordinator, with the role of ensuring Labour is poised to "fight and win" an election "whenever the prime minister decides to call it".
However, Mr Brown signalled no fundamental change in foreign policy, vowing that Britain would meet her obligations in Iraq and Afghanistan while continuing in multilateral alliance with Europe, the US and others in response to "all the security challenges we face" in a "fragile" and "uncertain" world.
Mr Brown also gave a warm welcome to Harriet Harman - the surprise victor in the deputy leadership ballot announced at a special party conference in Manchester yesterday - amid evidence of continuing unhappiness among Labour activists about the Iraq war and its aftermath.
Ms Harman - who defeated the favourite, education secretary Alan Johnson, by less than one percentage point on the fifth count - was the most outspoken of the deputy leadership contenders in her criticism of the prosecution of the war and of the United States over Guantánamo Bay.
In his first speech as party leader, Mr Brown said the government he will lead needed to rebuild "trust", and acknowledged that Iraq had been "a divisive issue" for both the party and the country. He said his government would "learn lessons that needed to be learned" from Iraq, while being at all times "unyielding in support for our dedicated armed forces and resolute in our determination to take the tough decisions to ensure the long-term defence and security of our country".
At the same time Mr Brown said Britain's security also required a battle "for hearts and minds" at home and abroad and an ever more urgent search for a peace settlement in the Middle East.
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain - who had predicted he would be the surprise choice to succeed John Prescott as deputy leader - came fifth on the first count and was the second candidate to be eliminated after departing party chairwoman and Blairite loyalist Hazel Blears. Some senior commentators speculated that Mr Hain's poor result could put a question mark over his survival in the new cabinet, to be announced by Mr Brown.
Tony Blair, who will leave office after a final appearance at prime minister's questions and a last official audience with Queen Elizabeth, introduced his successor at yesterday's emotional gathering, describing his long-time friend and rival as a strong man who was "sound in his convictions" and "true to his principles".
Despite fresh newspaper revelations that Mr Blair had drawn up plans to sack his chancellor before the last election, the departing prime minister said that they had confounded those who said it would be impossible to have "a stable and orderly transition".
Current estimates suggest that the transition will see at least nine members of the Blair cabinet depart or lose their jobs when Mr Brown announces his new administration on Wednesday and Thursday. Lord Goldsmith, who has been embroiled in recurring controversies over Iraq, the "cash for honours affair" and the halting of the Serious Fraud Office investigation into alleged corruption by BAE Systems in an arms deal with Saudi Arabia, dramatically announced his resignation late on Friday evening.
In addition to Mr Blair and Mr Prescott, John Reid and Hilary Armstrong have already announced their departures, with other leading Blairites such as Lord Falconer and Tessa Jowell tipped to follow suit.
During a BBC interview yesterday, Mr Brown declined to say if he intends to appoint a deputy prime minister. However, it seems unlikely to be Ms Harman following Mr Brown's announcement yesterday that the new deputy leader will henceforth also be party chairman.