Prime Minister Tony Blair has declared he is not for turning on petrol, pensions or the Dome, despite his party's nosedive in the polls.

On the opening day of the Labour Party Conference in Brighton he insisted there would be no quick fix on fuel, refused to cave in to campaigners' demands for a restoration of the earnings link for pensioners and declined to apologise for the Dome.

But in moves designed to dampen some disquiet, he acknowledged protesters' anger over petrol and diesel prices, stressed Chancellor Gordon Brown was looking to help poorer pensioners, and said the Millennium Dome had not been the success hoped for.

He said he believed voters' attitudes would change when they focused on the fundamental issues of the economy and public services and looked at the Tories' alternative policies.

But yesterday he admitted his stance might backfire, saying: "I may be wrong and sitting here in a year's time and it's all different."

Mr Blair's fight back came as the latest poll showed the Tories with an eight per cent lead over Labour, the Conservatives' best showing since 1992.

On petrol, Mr Blair said: "I think it's clearly obvious that people were angry and wondered how on earth this could have happened.

"It happened on my watch so I take responsibility for it."

He said linking pensions with earnings could not be restored for risk of burdening future generations, but Ministers were working on proposals to raise the minimum income guarantee for pensioners on benefit to £90 a week.

"What we are trying to do is to help some of the poorest pensioners.

"Then what we want to do is turn our attention to those who aren't on benefit but have some savings.

"We accept we need to do more and we will do more, as we can, and consistent with our priorities."

The Prime Minister admitted the 75p increase on state pensions had sent the wrong signals - "Yes, in the end. Although it was done absolutely according to the rules.

"Pensioners, perfectly naturally, look at the 75p every week and don't take account of all the other things we are doing for them."

Mr Blair refused point blank to apologise for the Dome, despite recent comments from International Development Secretary Clare Short that the project had been a "flop".

He said: "I do not apologise for trying to do something really ambitious for the millennium. It's not been the success we hoped, that's true, but I do say to people, try to put the other side of the balance sheet."

He went on: "What I'm saying is that probably if I had known then what I know now about governments trying to run a visitor attraction it was too ambitious. These things do take time to settle down, but there's something else to put on the other side of the balance sheet."

The conference will bring a £5 million boost to the economy of Brighton and Hove.

The Brighton Centre, Grand and Metropole hotels have been transformed into a high security cocoon protected by a 7ft fence and hundreds of police officers, dogs and horses have been drafted in from around the South as part of security measures costing almost £2 million.

An estimated £300,000 has been spent on providing a bridge over Cannon Place so those at the conference can walk between the Metropole and the Grand hotels without having to go through extra security checks.

With opinion polls showing the Tories in the lead and support for the Liberal Democrats rising, Mr Blair will use his speech tomorrow to try to stop the rot. It could be his last conference speech before the next general election.

Yesterday, the conference got under way after a short film featuring some of Labour's greatest triumphs and speeches from past leaders.

But delegates were surprised there was no welcoming speech from the Mayor of Brighton and Hove or a civic leader.

Islington councillor Jenny Rathbone, who raised the lack of a civic speech as a point of order, said: "Local councillors work hard and it is a real boost when the conference comes to town. I like to hear what the local mayor has to say and I am surprised this has disappeared from the opening procedures of Labour conferences."

This year's conference chairman, Vernon Hince, said in his opening speech that Brighton and Hove had done well from the Labour Government.

Sixty thousand pensioners had benefited from the rise in the winter fuel allowance, local schools had received an extra £6 million, unemployment was down by 35 per cent, and 3,500 working families were benefiting from tax credits.

Pensioners lobbied Labour leaders outside the conference centre, calling for the link between pensions and earnings to be restored.