The Labour Party's annual conferences can be tepid affairs. But this year's seaside shindig marked the climax of some gripping political theater in Britain as Prime Minister Tony Blair launched an emotional defense of his leadership, protesters brandished "Bliar" banners at him, and seditious talk rippled in the party ranks. Even the sea was agitated.

Besieged by furious opponents of his Iraq campaign, criticized for some of his domestic policies, and threatened by whispers of a challenge to his position, Mr. Blair based his much-anticipated annual speech on an appeal for unity to keep himself and his party in power until the end of the decade.

In the unusually long address Tuesday, Blair, full of contrition and humility, confessed to feeling "battered," acknowledged that his government had gone through a "rough patch" and declared himself ready to listen more when formulating policy.

"I know the old top-down approach won't work any more," he said. "I know I can't say, 'I am the leader, follow me' - not that that was your strong point anyway," he quipped.

Still, Blair stuck to his guns on Iraq, insisting that intelligence on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction was compelling, even though the failure to find any WMD in Iraq has raised questions about the motives for war and the credibility of the Blair government.

And the prime minister said he would not backtrack on key domestic reforms that have offended some supporters: private hospitals, higher fees for students, a tougher approach on asylum and crime, and a national ID card to combat fraud.

Blair has led the Labour Party for almost a decade, but it is currently deeply divided over the Iraq war, which was bitterly opposed by many in the Labour movement, and domestic reform, which was considered by some to be a betrayal of Labour's left-of-center ideals.

The party is crucially important to Blair: The electorate does not get to vote on his record for another two years, but a disaffected party could throw him out in weeks if they decide he has had his day, as the Conservatives did to Margaret Thatcher in 1990.

And the signs have not been good recently. Recent polls show two-thirds of the public no longer trust Blair, while almost half want him to quit. They also show Labour's own popularity slumping. Last month, the party lost a parliamentary seat in a by-election.

Some union leaders and activists have started muttering darkly about "regime change." Many have anointed Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown as leader in waiting, enthusing openly at Brown's conference speech, which called for a restoration of traditional Labour values.

"The chancellor really reached out to the mood in the party," says Mal Reeves, a party worker from South Wales. "It was a very good speech that wanted to reconnect with the membership," he adds, calling for the prime minister to do the same.

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