Blair to address Labour conference

Tony Blair was today telling his Labour Party’s annual conference there could be no turning back from controversial policies on foundation hospitals and top-up tuition fees for graduates, no matter how unpopular they might be.

Mr Blair was also expected to make no apologies for the war in Iraq, saying the world – and the UK – was now a safer place because of the coalition forces’ action.

The British Prime Minister’s eagerly awaited speech to the Bournemouth conference came after Chancellor Gordon Brown had stressed more traditional Labour values in his address to the Party faithful – with Mr Blair’s aides acknowledging there was a need to “reconnect” with activists.

He was also expected to promise policy would never again be foisted on the Party, bypassing its traditional machinery, in the way that the divisive policies on foundation hospitals and schools had been suddenly presented to MPs.

On Iraq, Mr Blair was expected to tell delegates he had no choice but to back military action and stress he hoped the Iraq Survey Group would within a week report back to London and Washington that Saddam had active weapons of mass destruction programmes.

Mr Blair’s speech will be closely scrutinised by Westminster observers waiting for any hint that the premier might be ready resign – but few believe that is a realistic possibility.

Instead, the UK Prime Minister is expected to emphasise his message that only by going forward with a radical reforming programme for the public services can Labour expect to win the trust of the voters for a third successive term.