Blair faces revolt within his Labour Party

updated 3:14 a.m. ET Sept. 7, 2006

LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair was locked in a fight Wednesday to keep control over when he leaves office, with 15 Labour lawmakers demanding he step down. They included eight junior members who resigned to protest his refusal to do so.

Blair warned the rebels that infighting would jeopardize the governing Labour Party’s effort to hold onto power, while top officials sent strong signals that the prime minister intended to leave office within a year.

Blair’s office could not immediately confirm reports that the prime minister intended to make a public statement on his future Thursday. The prime minister intended to use a scheduled visit to a London school with Education Secretary Alan Johnson to make his intentions clear, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The revolt of low-level officials was unlikely to dislodge Blair from office, though it could help force him to speed up his departure and raised fears the eventual change of command in Britain would be rancorous and messy.

Blair, who led Labour to its third straight election win last year, has said he would not seek a fourth term. He also promised to give his successor — widely expected to be Treasury chief Gordon Brown — time to settle into office before the next election, expected in 2009.

Ratcheting up pressure
Pressure for the prime minister to announce a departure date has intensified in recent weeks, fueled by widespread anger at Blair’s handling of fighting between Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants.

The prime minister’s office said Wednesday he planned to visit the Middle East soon in a bid to restart the Arab-Israeli peace process. But the announcement did little to placate government rebels and others demanding Blair be specific about when he will hand over power.

Labour legislators anxious about a slide in popularity — one recent poll showed the party 9 points behind the opposition Conservatives — fear the uncertainty about his tenure is damaging their electoral hopes.

The eight junior officials said they quit rather than remove their names from the letter demanding the prime minister step aside. They were among 15 Labour lawmakers who signed the letter, writing that while they support the centrist direction Blair has taken the party, he was no longer the man to lead it.

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