Tony Blair on Tuesday bade farewell to the Labour conference with a tough but tender speech, declaring he loved his party – but that it must not retreat into a leftwing “comfort zone” of politics after he is gone.

In a dazzling final address to the Labour conference that left many delegates in tears, the prime minister said he wanted to heal the divisions with Gordon Brown, the chancellor, whom he praised as “a remarkable man, a remarkable servant to this country”.