( Reuters ) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged to improve Britain's free schools and hospitals on Monday in a speech to the party faithful which fired their enthusiasm for an early general election.
"I will not let you down. I will stand up for our schools and hospitals ... I will stand up for a strong Britain," said Brown, making his eagerly awaited first speech as leader to the ruling Labour Party's annual conference.
The conference, always an important event for the party rank-and-file to debate policy, was especially important this year as it gave new leader Brown a chance to set his stamp on the party, led for the past 13 years by Tony Blair.
Brown's sober speech marked a sharp contrast with the more theatrical style of Blair, who stepped down after a decade as prime minister in June.
His speech went down well with Labour members who gave Brown a standing ovation at the start and end of his speech.
"I thought it was electric, he's made my heart beat fast," said Nicole Murphy, a 44-year-old nurse.
Brown has focused on improving public services, putting less emphasis on Britain's military involvement in Iraq which is deeply unpopular with many Labour Party members and helped force Blair from office mid-way through his third term.
Brown devoted just a paragraph of his speech to Iraq and Afghanistan, where thousands of British troops are deployed, pledging to work for security, political reconciliation and economic reconstruction in both countries.