Howard routed by Australia's 'Tony Blair' and ex-BBC typist

Kevin Rudd, a 50-year-old former diplomat, who has portrayed himself as a reforming leader in the mould of Mr Blair, brought a humiliating end to Mr Howard's career.

The Liberal Party leader, 68, who had looked all but unassailable just a year ago, even faced losing his own seat last night to Labor's Maxine McKew, who once worked in London as a BBC typist.

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Ms McKew, 54 - more recently a stylish anchorwoman for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation - seemed set to take Bennelong in Sydney, where Mr Howard had won 13 selections since 1974.

It put him in danger of becoming the first PM since 1929 to lose his constituency. Republican Mr Rudd now plans to hold a national vote asking Australians to drop the Queen as head of state. If a majority vote "yes" she could be removed from the constitution by 2011.

Mr Howard conceded defeat at midnight Australian time as official figures from the Australian Electoral Commission showed Labor far in front with more than 60 per cent of ballots counted.

ABC forecast Labor would get at least 81 places in the 150-seat lower house of Parliament, a clear majority.

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Mr Rudd had presented himself as a new generation of leader, promising to break links with Washington by pulling the 550 Australian combat troops out of Iraq and signing the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. He also promised investment in health and education.

Mr Howard had been criticised as a "deputy sheriff for George Bush".

In a national televised victory speech, Mr Rudd adopted language associated with the early days of New Labour. He said: "Today Australia has looked to the future. Today the Australian people have decided that we as a nation will move forward ... to embrace the future, together to write a new page in our nation's history."

The parallels between Mr Rudd and Tony Blair had been obvious during the campaign. Mr Rudd, like Mr Blair, has a strong Christian faith and his efforts to change the tax-and-spend image of Labor were compared to Blair's rebranding of New Labour.

The new Australian premier also has a prudent Gordon Brown figure to assist him, cancer survivor Wayne Swan, 53, who takes over the Treasury.

During his first campaign as Labor leader Mr Rudd had some peculiar public-relations disasters to cope with.

There was footage of Mr Rudd apparently picking his earwax and then putting his finger in his mouth in Parliament. It was unconvincingly explained as a misdirected chin itch.

And earlier this year he admitted he had attended a New York strip joint. The news only seemed to improve Mr Rudd's "nerdy" image.