Tony Blair may have the most famous (and most irritating) grin in British politics, but during this election campaign, it is the image of the supposedly dour, often sullen chancellor wreathed in smiles that will stick in the memory. It is not quite true, as some have suggested, that Gordon Brown has been the dominant figure of the campaign-that, for both good and ill, has been Mr Blair. What is not in doubt is that Mr Brown has emerged from the campaign politically stronger than ever before. Moreover, he has done so not at Mr Blair's expense, but by giving the prime minister the kind of unstinting support that has often been lacking during the past eight years. Given their recent history, the transformation in the Blair-Brown relationship during the past four weeks has been remarkable. On the eve of the campaign, there was still uncertainty as to what role Mr Brown would play. He had been infuriated by Mr Blair's decision to stay in the job for a few more years, by the resurrection of an old enemy, Alan Milburn, to take charge of Labour's re-election strategy and by rumours that he would be forced to move to the Foreign Office. But the notion that he would be a peripheral, sulky figure during the campaign was always implausible. For all their differences, Mr Brown and Mr Blair both wanted Labour to get the largest majority possible.
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