Ex-minister calls for Blair to quit within a year
Former cabinet minister Chris Smith has called on Tony Blair to quit within the next 12 months to give his successor time to prepare for the next election.
The peer, who served as culture secretary in the prime minister’s first cabinet, said Gordon Brown needed enough time to “establish his own style, his own agenda, his own priorities in the public mind” before going before voters.
Lord Smith’s comments to ePolitix.com follow the assertion by a current member of the cabinet, leader of the Commons Jack Straw, that Mr Blair would resign “well before” the next general election.
When he first announced that he would not fight a fourth election, the prime minister said he was determined to serve a full third term. But since then, he has refused to elaborate on any specific timetable, arguing it would “paralyse” the government.
“What is undoubtedly needed is an orderly transition in the course of the next year,” Lord Smith told the website.
“In order for Gordon Brown, who I very much hope will become the next leader of the party and prime minister, to have enough time having become prime minister to establish his own style, his own agenda, his own priorities in the public mind before he then fights an election.
“I think it is important he has that window of time to do it. What I don’t want to see happen is the handover occurring at the very last possible moment. I’d like to see it happening at a sensible point.”
During his monthly press conference yesterday, Mr Blair refused to comment on speculation about his future, insisting: “I’ve said all I’m going to say, and the important thing is now to get on with the running of the government.”
Downing Street is keen to push the image of a man in charge of events, and the past few weeks has seen the prime minister fully occupied with announcements and meetings.
Opening the press conference, Mr Blair made clear he personally believed there was still much to do, citing the NHS, reform of pensions, schools and welfare, and dealing with the problems at the Home Office as just some of the challenges ahead.
He also refused to speculate on a possible contest for John Prescott’s job as deputy leader of the Labour party – education secretary Alan Johnson, Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain and constitutional affairs minister Harriet Harman are all thought to be interested.
“I’m not going to answer that, I’m not going to fuel any more speculation on that subject,” the prime minister insisted.
However, when questioned whether English voters would accept a Scottish prime minister in the form of the chancellor, Mr Blair replied: “We are a United Kingdom, and people decide according to who is going to do the best job for them.”
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