Chancellor Gordon Brown faced the test of his political life when he sets out his stall to be Britain’s next Prime minister at Labour’s conference.

Mr Brown praised Tony Blair in his speech and presented himself as the man to take New Labour’s programme forward. He also put devolution of power, from government to citizens and local institutions, at the top of his agenda. Ahead of his speech Mr Brown said he accepted people also wanted to know more about him as a person.

“Mr Brown, who admits he is an essentially “private” man, said he wanted to address “what I belive in, what I stand for and what has made me the person I am”. Amongst the hints of what he might be planning if he became Prime minister, Mr Brown will call for NHS management to be hived off to an independent board, in the same way he gave the Bank of England independence. And he will say his basic view is that “the renewal of New Labour must and will be built upon... a flexible economy, reformed personalised services, public and private sectors not at odds but working together so that we can truly deliver opportunity and security, not just for some, but for all”.