BRITAIN: British prime minister Tony Blair today told Labour MPs yesterday a fourth term in power was within their grasp if they remained united around his centre-left agenda.
He said New Labour could end up dominating the political landscape for 100 years, as the Tories had done for the first century of the existence of the Labour Party itself.
He faced down critics at a packed meeting of the parliamentary Labour party on the first day of the new Commons session after the election.
After days of outspoken critics calling on him to quit sooner rather than later, ministers said the "silent majority" had spoken out at the meeting - which gave him a traditional desk-banging ovation.
Even those who have branded the Mr Blair an electoral liability conceded criticism had been drowned out - although they said there was a broader support for an anti-Blair movement than was represented at the gathering.
Mr Blair, in an account of his address given by party sources, told the MPs and peers: "We won from a centre-left position and I'm absolutely convinced we have got to stay there.
"The most important thing for us is to build out from the centre, rather than to lurch this way or that and we can build out from this to a fourth term victory.
"Our job is to implement the manifesto, but it's only going to be carried through if we are united as a political party. Our fourth victory will be under different leadership ,but we have to remain united until then.
"The fourth term is there for us - entrenching progressive politics every bit as powerful as the Tories were in the first 100 years of the Labour party." Mr Blair acknowledged that part of his job was now to ensure an orderly transition of power, having said he would not fight the next election.
Outspoken rebel Bob Marshall-Andrews, who has blamed Mr Blair publicly for Labour's majority being slashed from 161 to 66, renewed his call for him to resign.
"If he does not go, a lot of our colleagues in local government will not survive. It has got to be dealt with now."
"The truth is that no matter how many people actually raised things, there is substantially more background support for the fact that the prime minister is a serious problem."
Ministers were cock-a-hoop at Mr Blair's performance. One emerged from the meeting to say simply: "Whingers routed!" Defence secretary John Reid said: "It was a great meeting. The silent majority are silent no longer. They made their views known and you saw it in a standing ovation just now.
"We have waited a while for the silent majority to speak, but they have now spoken."
Another backbencher, Kevan Jones, said there was widespread "irritation" at those who had written newspaper articles and spoken out criticising the prime minister after the election.
But MP Glenda Jackson said she had told the prime minister "he had opened the Pandora's Box about his stepping down" and added "he has to give us a timetable".