Blair will resign on 31 May - reports
Speculation is growing over Tony Blair's exit strategy
Tony Blair will resign as Labour leader on 31 May next year, before stepping down as Prime Minister on 26 July, The Sun has reported.
The newspaper has previously made accurate predictions about the timing of general elections, widely suspected to have been based on inside information from Mr Blair's inner circle.
Downing Street would not comment on the story but did confirm that Mr Blair had received a letter from a group of Labour MPs understood to be calling on him to name a date for his departure.
The letter, believed to have been signed by 17 normally loyal Labour MPs, has raised speculation over Mr Blair's future in Westminster to fever pitch.
Close Cabinet allies of Mr Blair, David Miliband and Hilary Armstrong, spoke publicly about their belief that he will quit as PM within 12 months.
Their unusually frank comments were widely suspected to have been authorised by Number 10 in an attempt to stave off backbench rebellion, though Mr Blair's official spokesman would not confirm this, saying only: "Cabinet ministers will say what Cabinet ministers want to say."
None of the signatories of the letter, all reported to be on the "modernising" wing of the party, was confirming publicly that they had put their name to the call for Mr Blair to set out a timetable for his exit.
The Guardian reported that the confidential communication had been organised by two MPs previously seen as committed Blairites, Chris Bryant and Sion Simon, and circulated among younger MPs who first entered Parliament in 2001.
The BBC News website claimed the list of signatories included junior defence minister Tom Watson and ministerial aides Khalid Mahmood, Wayne David, Ian Lucas and David Wright.
Having earlier denied that the letter had been received by the PM, Downing Street said it had been found on a fax machine by a member of staff.
"We have received the letter about which there has been much speculation during the day," he said.
"It arrived on a random fax machine and was subsequently discovered by a member of staff. No one telephoned Downing Street to tell us it was coming. Indeed, there was no covering note to show who actually sent it to us.
"Although there has been much discussion of the content of the letter, it is marked 'private and confidential' and we intend to treat it as such."
news.aol.co.uk
Speculation is growing over Tony Blair's exit strategy
Tony Blair will resign as Labour leader on 31 May next year, before stepping down as Prime Minister on 26 July, The Sun has reported.
The newspaper has previously made accurate predictions about the timing of general elections, widely suspected to have been based on inside information from Mr Blair's inner circle.
Downing Street would not comment on the story but did confirm that Mr Blair had received a letter from a group of Labour MPs understood to be calling on him to name a date for his departure.
The letter, believed to have been signed by 17 normally loyal Labour MPs, has raised speculation over Mr Blair's future in Westminster to fever pitch.
Close Cabinet allies of Mr Blair, David Miliband and Hilary Armstrong, spoke publicly about their belief that he will quit as PM within 12 months.
Their unusually frank comments were widely suspected to have been authorised by Number 10 in an attempt to stave off backbench rebellion, though Mr Blair's official spokesman would not confirm this, saying only: "Cabinet ministers will say what Cabinet ministers want to say."
None of the signatories of the letter, all reported to be on the "modernising" wing of the party, was confirming publicly that they had put their name to the call for Mr Blair to set out a timetable for his exit.
The Guardian reported that the confidential communication had been organised by two MPs previously seen as committed Blairites, Chris Bryant and Sion Simon, and circulated among younger MPs who first entered Parliament in 2001.
The BBC News website claimed the list of signatories included junior defence minister Tom Watson and ministerial aides Khalid Mahmood, Wayne David, Ian Lucas and David Wright.
Having earlier denied that the letter had been received by the PM, Downing Street said it had been found on a fax machine by a member of staff.
"We have received the letter about which there has been much speculation during the day," he said.
"It arrived on a random fax machine and was subsequently discovered by a member of staff. No one telephoned Downing Street to tell us it was coming. Indeed, there was no covering note to show who actually sent it to us.
"Although there has been much discussion of the content of the letter, it is marked 'private and confidential' and we intend to treat it as such."
news.aol.co.uk
