Brown admits that Labour needs to 'rethink' policies

He said the Government 'must do more' to help voters battered by the economic crisis and sweeping changes in society.

The Prime Minister said: 'We need to be honest with ourselves: while poverty has been reduced and the rise in inequality halted, social mobility has not improved in Britain as we would have wanted.'

Gordon Brown and TUC President Dave Prentis (front right), with Harriet Harman and TUC Secretary Brendan Barber (back right) attend a meeting at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, following day two of the TUC Congress.

But his call for a 'change in the way we govern' was mocked by Opposition parties who claimed Mr Brown was merely confirming that his first year in power has been a failure.

Downing Street denied his call for the party to 'adapt and rethink' was an admission of personal mistakes.

But coming in the wake of his statement on Monday that he would 'confront' those in the party who are challenging his position, there was no mistaking Mr Brown's combative tone.

The Labour leader is trying to head off potential challengers by making clear he will not go voluntarily and showing he is ready to adapt if it means rescuing his premiership.

On Tuesday night there were signs that despite widespread despair behind the scenes among Cabinet ministers, no one is ready to strike against Mr Brown.

In the pre-conference article for the Parliamentary Monitor magazine, Mr Brown stressed that current global challenges are completely different to those Tony Blair faced when he came to power in 1997.

'I believe that Britain is well placed to withstand the shocks that these transformations bring, but if we are to seize on the opportunities these new challenges present, then the country, the Government and New Labour must do more,' he said.

'Whether global or domestic, deep-seated or just fleeting, the pressures that we face in the short-term and the longterm have all changed since New Labour first came into Government.

'And so, the way we govern must change too. That is why in Manchester this year it is time to adapt and rethink New Labour policy.'

His repeated references to 'New Labour' were seen by some as a way of pacifying supporters of the former prime minister who fear Mr Brown is destroying his predecessor's legacy.

And in an acknowledgement of the personal failings over the past year that have contributed to Labour's steep decline in the polls, Mr Brown said he would prove that he could provide the leadership required of him.

'What I ask of our country, our Government, and our party, cannot be done without leadership,' he said.

'So, at conference in Manchester and in the weeks that follow, I will set out how I  -  and our party, and our Government, and our country  -  must rise to conquer those challenges and to ensure fairness for all.'

But Tory front-bencher Chris Grayling said: 'Gordon Brown had ten years to think about what he was going to do when he became Prime Minister but now he is there he has changed his mind about what to do already.'

Liberal Democrat MP Danny Alexander said: 'This is a Government that is so busy clutching at straws that it has stopped doing its basic job of trying to run the country properly.

'The Prime Minister has to prove himself through action, not words.'