In the Tottenham by-election last year, David Lammy, a black barrister who grew up in the area, was elected MP. He promised voters that the heartlands of Tottenham were "safe in the hands of New Labour".
The language was deliberate - a smart swipe at his detractors who tried to brand him a "Millbank stooge", more interested in advancing his career than the people of his constituency.
Nearly a year later and fighting his first general election for the north London seat, Lammy insists he is a "passionate and energetic" constituency MP who wants to highlight the problems of social exclusion and poverty that blight the lives of many people in the area he represents.
He carefully side-steps questions about media reports that Mr Blair has earmarked him for promotion after June 7th.
Lammy contested the Tottenham seat following the death of the charismatic MP Bernie Grant. The veteran parliamentarian was a vociferous campaigner for the black community and he represented Tottenham for more than 10 years. During that period the notorious Broadwater Farm estate riots of 1985 nearly destroyed an already tense relationship between members of the ethnic minorities and the white community.
Such was the power of Grant's legacy that Lammy found himself standing against Grant's widow, Sharon, in the by-election. The battle was seen as a contest between Grant's legacy as a role model for young, black voters and the young pretender to the crown, quietly backed by the Labour leadership. Lammy gained a lot of support from the white community while Sharon Grant's core support came from the ethnic community, but even Lammy's critics insisted it was just as important for Tottenham to have a good MP as a black MP.
Much has changed in Tottenham since the riots and Broadwater Farm has recently undergone a £33 million facelift. There are other persistent problems. Unemployment is 10 per cent and many people have to take a bus or the Tube to get to the nearest bank.
Tottenham is one of the most racially diverse constituencies in the country. Lammy says the pre-election Tory race row gave his campaign a boost: "The race row made people very upset and angry here. I will not suggest there are not parts of the community, such as members of the black Caribbean and white working class, who seem to see asylum-seekers as coming in and taking things over. But I want to educate people to accept why asylum-seekers are coming here."
Young black men walk up to Lammy as he canvasses, and shake his hand, slap him on the back and wish him luck. On the doorstep, some of the voters voice their concerns about the local prostitute problem. Ms Nina Tullar tells Lammy that he is doing "a good job", but she complains that the prostitutes' customers drive up and down the road in the early hours of the morning. There is also a "crack house" on her street.
Around the corner, the reception is not so friendly. An angry Labour voter accuses Lammy of being a Tory: "You've let the Labour Party down. I campaigned for you lot in 1997, but not any more. Tony Blair is only interested in business people and millionaires."
It is the only time that Lammy appears rattled. He gets a bit annoyed as the voter asks him about a former Tory MP, Shaun Woodward, who was "parachuted" into the Labour seat in St Helens, near Liverpool. "Look I've heard this," Lammy says as he walks away. "What goes on in St Helens is a matter for them. For me it's about being a good constituency MP." The voter slams her front door and David Lammy walks away to find some friendly voters.