AS Tony Blair's heavily-armoured luxury car sped down the M1 from Luton Airport to Downing Street this morning, the re-crowned PM was no doubt experiencing mixed feelings.

There was the satisfaction of leading Labour to a historic third successive General Election victory with a much-reduced (but comfortable) anticipated majority of 64.

On the other hand, he'll have reflected that the triumph came on the back of the smallest winning share of the vote recorded a meagre 36 per cent.

He will have sombrely acknowledged that the result will do nothing to stop those in his party clamouring for Gordon Brown to be handed his job.

And the reduced majority will only encourage the 50-odd Labour MPs who have

already caused him considerable trouble during the last four years to rebel again and again during the next Parliament.

Yet, as dawn crept across the country, Mr Blair will have found comfort knowing the Tories and Lib Dems had topsy-turvy evenings too.

Michael Howard's Conservatives successfully picked up seats from both Labour and the Lib Dems, gaining roughly 33 extra places in the Commons.

But the party's vote share virtually flatlined.

Crucially, they appeared to have failed to hit the elusive 209-seat figure the amount of seats the woeful Labour Party won in 1983.

The Conservative leader will probably hang on to his job but only long enough to allow a smooth handover to a younger politician.

Charles Kennedy's Lib Dems did manage to increase their seats to the highest total since the 1920s.

Bristol West, Cardiff Central, Leeds North West and Hornsey and Woodgreen were great wins.

Weston-super-Mare and Guildford were disappointing losses.

The party's famed "decapitation strategy" of targeting top Tories in marginal constituencies flopped spectacularly.

David Davies, Oliver Letwin and Theresa May all survived.

Only Mr Howard's education spokesman, Dr Who-obsessed Tim Collins, took a bullet.

So, everyone's a winner. But at the same time a loser.

Blair seemed at first depressed with how the night was panning out.

His speech after winning his Sedgefield seat with 24,421 votes was muted and sober.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the controversy of the Iraq war had hit him hard and that he now needed to listen carefully to the public.

"I know Iraq has been a divisive issue in this country," he said.

"It is not yet clear, obviously, what the majority actually is.

"But it seems as if it is clear that the British people wanted the return of a Labour government, but with a reduced majority.

"We have to respond to that sensibly and wisely and responsibly."

Yet only three hours later now in London with the party faithful the Prime Minister seemed bright, cheery and very positive.

"I think we can be proud of what we have achieved in these past eight years, but I tell you we can achieve so much more in the next four years if we putour minds to it," he said.

It is Mr Blair's 52nd birthday today.

As he looks back on the last 24 hours he may well feel disappointed with his present from the British electorate.

But he can be relieved that he still has just about enough friends to justify a good party.

With Parliamentary Correspondent Mark Hookham