Blair: lessons to be learned

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Tony Blair giving his speech at Sedgefield

Tony Blair today promised to use an historic third term in No 10 to govern 'sensibly and wisely' and admitted that 'lessons had to be learned'.

He said if predictions were right, the British people wanted to curb his command of the Commons - as polls suggested a majority cut from 161 to below 100.

After being re-elected in his Sedgefield constituency, Mr Blair said: "I know Iraq has been a divisive issue in this country.

"But I hope now we can unite again and look to the future."

To cheers and applause, he added: "If the predictions are right, it looks as if the Labour Party is heading, for the first time in its history, for a historic third term.

"It's not yet clear, obviously, what the majority is. But it seems as if it is clear that the British people wanted the return of a Labour Government, but with a reduced majority.

"We have to respond to that sensibly and wisely and responsibly."

Speaking later at the Trimdon Labour Club, he added: "There are lots of lessons to learn but I do feel very proud of the fact that we have managed that historic third term victory."

Chancellor Gordon Brown, seen as the natural successor to Mr Blair when he steps down, said as his own result was announced: "I promise that we will listen and we will learn so that we can serve our country and our communities even better in the years to come."

Ex-home secretary David Blunkett predicted a "substantially reduced majority" as he too said lessons would have to be learned from the campaign.

The Tories celebrated their first gain just after midnight when they took back Putney, south west London, from Labour with a majority of 1,766 on a 6.46% swing.

They later went to regain Enfield Southgate, famously seized by Labour's Stephen Twigg from Michael Portillo as Labour romped to a 1997 landslide.

Earlier, a BBC-ITV News exit poll predicted the state of the parties in the new parliament as Labour with 365 MPs, the Conservatives with 209 and the Liberal Democrats on 53 - majority 66.

There were few early signs of major Lib Dem gains, and the exit poll prediction would leave Charles Kennedy's party with two fewer MPs.

The party failed in its attempts to unseat two senior Tories - as ex-party chairman Theresa May increased her majority in Maidenhead and shadow home secretary David Davis retained Haltemprice and Howden.

Senior Labour figures hailed the fact that for the first time the party would enjoy three successive periods in office.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said: "We always want a good result. I always want to see a Labour Government and there is going to be a Labour Government, There is no doubt about that."

Labour's election co-ordinator Alan Milburn said: "There's a health warning on any exit poll, but if this exit poll is right, then Labour would have secured a third term in government for the first time in our party's history.

"Tony Blair would be only the second Prime Minister in history to win three general elections in a row with a mandate and a majority for a New Labour programme of government."

Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon acknowledged Iraq had been an issue in the campaign, but insisted it was "nothing like" as significant as the economy and public services.

He told ITV1: "I have not found people saying that Iraq is the most important issue as far as they are concerned.

"I have had some people who have raised it with me but not as a central decision-making factor in how they cast their vote."

Tory co-chairman Liam Fox said: "There is only one poll that matters and that is the one when the real ballot papers are counted.

"But if this prediction were true, it is clear that the public want to cut Tony Blair down to size and make him more accountable."

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Sir Menzies Campbell said results in marginal seats around the country could contradict the exit poll findings.

"Let's wait until the votes are counted," he told BBC1.

"Our own people are telling us that in the target seats we have been going like a bomb and there's a great deal of confidence.

"I think there is going to be a great deal of regional variation throughout the United Kingdom and that may be expressed in results which appear, on the face of it, to be contradictory of this exit poll."

Mr Blunkett conceded the Government needed to heed the lessons of the campaign.
At his count, he said: "There are two lessons: firstly that we should continue building on the economic prosperity and the legacy that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown have created and the investment in public services.

"Secondly, we need to hear the voice of the British people. Over the next five years we will need to be in touch with, listening to, in contact with people in the neighbourhood and the community, building confidence in politics and politicians."

 

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