British PM Confirms Quitting, Refuses Specific Date
Shaveta Bansal - All Headline News Staff Writer London, England (AHN) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Thursday confirmed that he intends to quit "in the interests of the country" within a year, but refused to give a specific date on his departure. The pressure on the premier to provide clarity on his future escalated Wednesday after eight of his dissident junior ministers resigned. "I will do that at a future date," Blair said while speaking at a school in North London, adding that he is "not going to set a precise date now." "I don't think that's right," he said. Blair said that the Labor Party conference in Manchester at the end of the month would be his last as party leader. Earlier, Gordon Brown, a possible replacement for Blair, said it was up to the premier to name the date of his exit, the succession was not "about private arrangements" and that he would support him fully in his efforts. "I would have preferred to do this in my own way but as has been pretty obvious from what many of my cabinet colleagues have said earlier in the week, the next party conference in a couple of weeks will be my last party conference as party leader," Blair said. "The next TUC (Trades Union Congress) next week will be my last TUC, probably to the relief of both of us." Blair, 53, winner of a record three consecutive elections for Labor, has seen his popularity dive after a series of government scandals ov |
