Labour's new leader Ed Miliband has vowed to take the party forward as a united team after beating his older brother David by a wafer-thin majority.
The vote was split 50.65% to 49.35% in the race to succeed Gordon Brown.
In a speech immediately after being declared leader, Mr Miliband promised voters that "I get it" about the reasons for Labour's defeat in the May General Election, and understood the need for the party to change.
He said that a "new generation that understands the call to change" had taken charge of Labour today.
Ed Miliband said: "I am proud of the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown but we lost the election and lost it badly. My message to the country is this - I know we lost trust, I know we lost touch, I know we need to change. Today, a new generation has taken charge of Labour - a new generation that understands the call to change."
Mr Miliband was named leader in the fourth round of vote-counting at a special leadership conference in Manchester, benefiting from the redistributed votes of eliminated candidates Diane Abbott, Andy Burnham and Ed Balls, after trailing David through the first three rounds.
Former Labour cabinet minister David Blunkett said the new leader and his brother had to form a united front.
He said: "We've never seen anything quite like what we've had, with two brothers neck and neck. These are brothers. They're blood brothers. They can't afford to fall out in the way we had with Tony and Gordon, and neither can we."
Ms Abbott said Mr Miliband would make an "excellent" leader and added that she was proud of her campaign despite being the first to be eliminated.
"I ran the course, I said the things I felt needed to be said, and I think now the party is ready to unite behind Ed. I think Ed is going to make a fantastic leader," she said. Asked if she wanted a place in his shadow cabinet, she said: "I want to have a drink."
Labour's new leader Ed Miliband has vowed to take the party forward as a united team after beating his older brother David by a wafer-thin majority.
The vote was split 50.65% to 49.35% in the race to succeed Gordon Brown.
In a speech immediately after being declared leader, Mr Miliband promised voters that "I get it" about the reasons for Labour's defeat in the May General Election, and understood the need for the party to change.
He said that a "new generation that understands the call to change" had taken charge of Labour today.
Ed Miliband said: "I am proud of the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown but we lost the election and lost it badly. My message to the country is this - I know we lost trust, I know we lost touch, I know we need to change. Today, a new generation has taken charge of Labour - a new generation that understands the call to change."
Mr Miliband was named leader in the fourth round of vote-counting at a special leadership conference in Manchester, benefiting from the redistributed votes of eliminated candidates Diane Abbott, Andy Burnham and Ed Balls, after trailing David through the first three rounds.
Former Labour cabinet minister David Blunkett said the new leader and his brother had to form a united front.
He said: "We've never seen anything quite like what we've had, with two brothers neck and neck. These are brothers. They're blood brothers. They can't afford to fall out in the way we had with Tony and Gordon, and neither can we."
Ms Abbott said Mr Miliband would make an "excellent" leader and added that she was proud of her campaign despite being the first to be eliminated.
"I ran the course, I said the things I felt needed to be said, and I think now the party is ready to unite behind Ed. I think Ed is going to make a fantastic leader," she said. Asked if she wanted a place in his shadow cabinet, she said: "I want to have a drink."