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Labour pledges 'radical' third-term programme
Tony Blair is forming a historic third-term Labour government after seeing his majority dramatically reduced.
Having secured the Queen's backing on Friday morning to form a government, the prime minister returned to Number 10 saying he had listened to and learned from the British public.
"It is very clear what people want us to do and we will do it," he told journalists in Downing Street.
Blair said he would proceed with a "radical programme" during his historic third term.
And he insisted Labour had the "experience and commitment" to deliver on the people's priorities.
The new government's priorities would be focused on education, health, welfare reform, immigration and law and order.
There will also be efforts on an international level, he promised.
"I know too that there are many other issues that concern people in the international agenda, and we will focus on those, on poverty in Africa, on climate change on making progress in Israel and Palestine," Blair said.
"So there is a very big agenda for a third-term Labour government.
"And even if we don't have quite the same expectations that people had of us in 1997, we know have the experience and the commitment to see it through."
Poor showing
However, the prime minister will be disappointed in his party's performance. Labour's estimated Commons majority is 64, substantially down on what it secured in 2001 and 1997.
Speaking earlier in the day Blair acknowledged that the government had
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