AS the Labour Party conference gets into full swing in Brighton, much of the talk is about how long it will be before Gordon Brown takes over from Tony Blair as party leader.

Mr Blair will want his conference speech this week to set out his vision for radical public service reforms which he wants to be a cornerstone of his legacy.

As the countdown to his departure accelerates, and the descent into civil war in Iraq casts a huge shadow over his premiership, he knows that much has to be achieved quickly if he is to be primarily remembered for lasting improvements in schools and health.

By this time in 2006, he will almost certainly have run out of time and who knows what the position will be in Iraq by then?

Having delivered a third term - albeit with a slashed majority - attention will be increasingly focused on how the Blair years will go down in history.

He will therefore be determined to use the conference platform, and the following parliamentary session, to drive forward those landmark reforms.

Gordon Brown, meanwhile, will be expected to deliver a prime ministerial performance which reminds the party that he is the only real choice as Mr Blair's successor.

His credentials as a chancellor who has expertly managed the economy are firmly established. But he still has to show that he is capable of combining strength and dependability with the warmth and charisma necessary to win over the country for a fourth Labour term.