Milburn to say New Labour reforms must go on, but seeks Brown peace

Alan Milburn will declare today that New Labour's reforms must "go on and on" and hint that Tony Blair will do the same to secure his legacy before he leaves Downing Street.

Alan Milburn will declare today that New Labour's reforms must "go on and on" and hint that Tony Blair will do the same to secure his legacy before he leaves Downing Street.

Labour's election and policy co-ordinator will warn that the Government will look a spent force unless it launches a new wave of reforms. He will tell a Fabian Society conference in London: "Reform is not a process that starts one day and ends the next. It must go on and on.

"When we have backed reform, the public have backed us. When we have turned our back on reform, the public have turned their back on us."

Mr Milburn will seek peace with Gordon Brown, who remains sore that the former health secretary was handed his pivotal election role. The co-ordinator will praise the Chancellor's policies, such as handing independence to the Bank of England, in a departure from attempts by Blairites to paint Mr Brown as an opponent of reform. In return, he will urge Brownites to stop claiming that reformers are interested only in market forces and privatisation, calling for Labour's internal debate to "move beyond" markets and focus on "outcomes".

But Mr Milburn's conciliatory language will have a sting in the tail. He will say Labour cannot take victory for granted, and winning would mean New Labour was "finally liberated to govern on its own terms". That reflects Mr Blair's desire to serve a full third term to embed permanent change in Britain.