Soon afterwards, outside Holborn Tube station, Blair's wife, Cherie, bumped into their friend Barry Cox, a London Weekend Television executive. On the contrary, it helped to assure Blair's place as the favoured candidate of the "moderniser" faction.On the morning of John Smith's death, Blair was in Aberdeen He first heard the news when Brown called him He set off back for London. Smith warned him after this interview that he was endangering his chances of becoming leader. By now the unions were set on opposing John Smith's plans for "one member, one vote". Blair was the most outspoken of all Labour politicians, going on television to rule out any compromise. It may have been Brown's greatest contribution to his own eclipse.A week later, Blair added to his reputation for determination.

Extraordinarily, the phrase itself came from Brown, although Brown denies it Sources close to both of them confirmed this at the time. In January 1993 he unleashed "tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime" on BBC Radio's The WorldThis Weekend. And the third was Blair's greater prominence in the battle for "one member, one vote".For Brown the shadow Chancellorship was logical, but it was to be his undoing. He defended the UK's membership of the European exchange rate mechanism right up to the moment when the pound was devalued in September 1992 And he pursued rigidly the line of "no new taxes".

Both policies are arguably right if Labour is to win, but they bewildered party members.Meanwhile, Blair flourished as shadow Home Secretary, as one of the few politicians capable of turning law and order into a winning issue for Labour. The second was Blair's own performance as shadow Home Secretary. He said: `What are the unions going to say?' Kinnock's office said: `We'll tell you what the unions are going to say.' And Gordon just wouldn't focus, wouldn't do it, wouldn't take a risk, thought the unions would be against it."The employment job was an important stepping-stone for Blair, but even after the 1992 election his position was still that of Brown's eager younger brother Three factors shifted the balance of power between them The first was Brown's promotion to shadow Chancellor. As shadow Trade and Industry Secretary, Brown was charged with dropping another icon - the commitment to renationalise British Telecom One source says: "He would vacillate and vacillate.

Facing down luridly expressed trade union opposition, Blair calmly ditched Labour's support for the closed shop - a heresy akin to rewriting Clause IV. Neil Kinnock, who in his 1988 post-electoral depression had joked to Brown: "Be on hand - the party may need you", now welcomed Blair in front of Shadow Cabinet members with: "Here comes the next leader of the Labour Party".Those close to Kinnock compared Blair's boldness with Brown's caution. He was elected to the Shadow Cabinet in 1988, and a year later promoted to shadow Employment Secretary.Just five weeks into that job, he pulled off a coup which gave the first hint he was a future leader. One says: "He was mammothly dazzled by Brown's power."Brown's standing as a future leader was confirmed when he stood in for shadow Chancellor John Smith after his first heart attack in 1988 Later that year he topped the Shadow Cabinet poll But even then, Blair was not that far behind. Blair initially shared an office with another new MP, the Militant Dave Nellist, and quickly moved into a windowless room with Brown which they shared until Brown was elected to the Shadow Cabinet in 1987. For the first nine years of their friendship, Brown was unquestionably the senior, although only two years older Friends attest to Blair's awe of Brown. But just two years later, Blair and Brown's 11-year friendship reached its most testing moment, when support for Blair turned out to be overwhelming They first met in 1983, as Labour's two youngest MPs.