After an agonizing 13-year wait to lead Britain's Labour Party, Gordon Brown will now become prime minister without a fight and with clear signs he is benefiting from a post-Blair bounce in the polls.
Brown will take over when Tony Blair resigns on June 27 after his only potential party rival -- a left-winger whose challenge was always viewed as a token effort -- failed to win enough support from parliamentarians to get on the ballot paper.
On Thursday, Labour said Brown had won the support of 313 of the party's 353 lawmakers and declared nominations closed. The leader of the ruling party automatically takes over as prime minister.
Brown knows he has his work cut out to ensure a fourth straight victory for Labour at a national election due by May 2010 at the latest, and has wasted no time in moving on.
Brown has stressed how different he is from his predecessor, both in terms of policy and in his approach to politics.
Critics accused Blair of centralizing power, bypassing lawmakers and being obsessed with celebrities and appearance.
Brown has pledged to give more power to parliament, to put "citizens in control" of their lives and to end personality-driven politics.
He has unveiled plans for more affordable housing, ecologically-friendly towns and said investment in education and health remained a top priority.
"He has started off talking about the right kinds of things. Affordable homes wasn't a bad start, sorting out the NHS (National Health Service) is a good start," said Labour lawmaker Ian Gibson, a frequent critic of Blair and the government.
Brown, often described as dour, now has six weeks of hustings events to put over his message without interruptions from party rivals.
Opinion polls show the start of Brown's leadership campaign has given Labour a bounce in support, but the Conservative opposition under youthful leader David Cameron still leads.
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