Blair says reforms brought about by Labour are enough to ensure economic success regardless of who is chancellor.

The reforms brought about in the Labour party are enough to ensure that the economic success enjoyed by Gordon Brown will continue, regardless of who may succeed him as chancellor of the Exchequer, prime minister Tony Blair said today.

In a Q&A session with magazine editors from the consumer and business sectors, Blair declined to speculate on who might be his second choice as chancellor, should anything happen to Gordon Brown.

'The Labour party is a changed political animal, he said. 'That change is now entrenched and permanent, whatever happens to the leadership. For a long time people thought that if they voted Labour they were going to put the economy at risk.”