| Labour Leadership Election |
Article Index for Labour |
Website Links For Labour |
Information AboutLabour Leadership Election |
|
BLAIR DEPARTURE After Labour's 2004 conference, Blair announced via a BBC interview {Link without Title} that he would not fight a fourth general election, an unusual announcement in Britain, as there is no limit on the time someone may serve as Prime Minister. He also announced he would like to serve a "full third term." In the months following the election, there was frequent speculation over the anticipated date of his departure. The Westminster consensus expected him to go after the proposed UK referendum on the European Union Constitution , but its collapse eliminated this juncture. The July 2005 terror attacks also appear to have strengthened his position. But while bookmakers take bets on his staying, Blair's election agent John Burton said [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4737927.stm that he will quit the House of Commons at the next election. The official line from the Downing Street press office on this was that it was the "last thing on [Blair's] mind," but there has been no firm denial. Speculation as to the likely time of Blair's departure and his likely replacement as leader of the Labour party by Gordon Brown, increased in early 2006. Such speculation is repeatedly raised in the press and political circles when any mishap occurs to the government. The case of private loans to the Labour party apparently known to few people other than Blair himself, and the number of such benefactors who have been proposed as candidates to become members of the House of Lords, drew comment on his suitability to hold the post. If he remains in office until November 26 , 2008 , Blair will break Margaret Thatcher 's record for longest continuous service as Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool , 1812-27. Blair has said that after stepping down as Prime Minister, he plans to leave front-line politics and does not intend to take a seat in the House of Lords, commenting that it is, "...not my scene". {Link without Title} POTENTIAL CONTENDERS As of 2006, the main identified potential contenders are (in alphabetical order):
|
|
|