Blair Chosen New Labor Party Chief : Britain: Charismatic 41-year-old is praised for his moderate policies, political savvy.

Tony Blair, the 41-year-old advocate of moderate, democratic socialist policies, was elected the new Labor Party leader Thursday by a comfortable margin.

As expected, he gained a clear majority--57% of the votes cast by Labor members of Parliament, the constituency membership and affiliated unions. The other two candidates, John Prescott and Margaret Beckett, polled 24.1% and 18.9% respectively.

In the race for the deputy leadership, Prescott defeated Beckett, with 56.5% to her 43.5%.

Labor Party supporters widely hailed the leadership team as a “dream ticket,” matching Blair’s brainy charm with Prescott’s rough-hewn common touch.

As leader, Blair would be the next prime minister if the Labor Party defeats the ruling Conservative Party in a national election that must be held within 32 months. He now heads a “shadow cabinet” with Labor Party members of Parliament designated as spokespersons for all departments of the British government.

The leadership vote was unexpectedly low, mainly among trade unionists: Figures showed that fewer than one in four of those eligible had voted--952,109 ballots out of 4.3 million. Still, Labor Party Chairman David Blunkett said the election was “the most extensive democratic exercise ever within a European political party.”

Blair--a tall, slender, articulate member of Parliament who was born in Scotland--succeeds John Smith, who died of a heart attack two months ago. Beckett had been acting leader since then.

The Labor Party has lost four national elections since last holding power in 1979. The last defeated leader, Neil Kinnock, is widely reported as likely to become one of Britain’s two European Union commissioners in Brussels.

Blair, educated as a lawyer, is credited with a wide knowledge of politics and issues. His good looks have led some Tories to christen him “Bambi.” But he is, by all accounts, a tough political operator with a firm grasp on the party machinery--and so will avoid the fractious inside battles that have split the Labor Party in the past.

In an acceptance speech, Blair declared: “I shall not rest until, once again, the destinies of our people and our party are joined together again in victory at the next general election--Labor in its rightful place, in government again.”

He said of his task: “It is a mission to lift the spirit of the nation, drawing its people together, to rebuild the bonds of common purpose that are at the heart of any country fit to be called one nation.”

To the Conservatives, he said: “You have had your chance. You have had 15 years to get it right. If you can’t change this country for better after 15 years, you never will. It is time for you to go.”

Blair shrugged off divisions between the “old left and the new right,” calling for a “new left-of-center agenda.” But he added: “We must avoid foolish illusions and false promises” and said that just because the Tories had “lost the nation’s trust” did not mean that Labor would “inherit it automatically.”

Blair’s election was praised by Labor Party senior figures, as was Prescott’s in the No. 2 position.

Even Jeremy Hanley, the newly appointed Conservative Party chairman picked to revive his party’s low standing in opinion polls, congratulated Blair, mentioning they had entered Parliament together in 1983. But he added: “How is he going to pay for the perfect world he is advocating? That’s what we’ve got to get out of him.”