Breaking - Tony Blair to resign next July

[Quixote1818]

By Peter Graff

LONDON (Reuters) - Tony Blair will leave office on July 26, the Sun newspaper reported in its Wednesday edition, as the increasingly unpopular prime minister faced growing pressure to quit from within his own Labor Party.

The report comes a day after a top Blair ally said the prime minister would probably leave office within a year.

The Sun said Blair would step down as head of the Labor Party on May 31, less than a month after his tenth anniversary in office. He would resign as prime minister eight weeks later, after an election to choose a successor as party leader, expected to be his finance minister, Gordon Brown.


Blair, winner of a record three consecutive elections for Labor, has already said he will not stand for a fourth term.

His popularity has plunged after a series of government scandals over sleaze and mismanagement, as well as controversy over the Iraq war. Opinion polls put Labor well behind the opposition Conservatives -- resurgent under their youthful, pro-environment leader David Cameron.

More at:


http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-09-05T224919Z_01_L05434410_RTRUKOC_0_US-BRITAIN-POLITICS.xml&archived=False

[LynnTheDem]

1. Like bush with Iran's newly elected rightwingnut leader, tony the bLiar

has furthered the cause of rightwingnuts in the UK.

[Robbien]

2. He can still do alot of damage between now and then

I read where he is pushing for more nuclear plants.

And then he is needed for his poodlelike support of Bush's push to bomb Iran.

[saltpoint]

3. Tony, ya done went to hangin' out with the wrong people.

And it cost ya, son.

[marmar]

4. Then he can catch the Eurostar to Brussels....

where he can make a connection onward to the Hague.

[pinto]

5. Geez, I had forgotten he's been PM for 10 years. The Conservatives seem

well poised in the next elections, apparently.

[aquart]

6. Next YEAR?

How many Brits can he get killed between now and then? What happened? Did they throw darts at a calender? Did they let him set his own date so he could get in all his vacation time? WHY A YEAR?

[wtmusic]

7. Don't go far, Tony

There's an appointment with Junior at the Hague I wouldn't want you to miss.