It doesn't matter who's chancellor - Blair

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.

Link: Brown takes centre stage in election campaign

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.'

His comments may help pave the way for a post-election cabinet shuffle that Westminster watchers say could see Brown move to the Foreign Office, leaving behind a hard act for his Treasury successor to follow.