http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2006/May/theworld_May254.xml§ion=theworldBlair hints at mid-2007 exit; Labour takes a blow in support
(AFP)
9 May 2006
LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair has broadly hinted at his intention to stand down within the coming year, as his troubled Labour government sinks to fresh lows in the opinion polls.
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To do so, he told a press conference Monday, would “paralyse the proper workings of government... and therefore damage the country”.
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But in a significant turn, Blair signalled that he was retreating from his previously declared intention of completing “a full third term” -- in other words, staying in Downing Street until the next election due by May 2010.
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Later Monday, in a closed door meeting with Labour members of parliament, Blair reportedly declared that he would give his successor “ample” time to settle in.
His language led political commentators to conclude that Blair now is preparing to step aside sometime in the middle of 2007, so long as rebels within Labour do not succeed in pushing him out before then.
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