Tony Blair announces date of his resignation
Tony Blair has announced that he will stand down as Prime Minister on June 27.
wenty-four years after he launched his career as a young MP in the former pit villages of Co Durham, the Prime Minister returned there today to draw it all to a close.
“I have been Prime Minister of this country for just over 10 years. In this job, in the world today, I think that is long enough for me, but more especially for the country,” he said.
“Sometimes the only way you conquer the pull of power is to set it down.”
Mr Blair said that he will leave his position as soon as a new Labour leader is elected - a process that is likely to take seven weeks and result in the appointment of Gordon Brown.
Surrounded by local officials who have been with him throughout his time as MP, Mr Blair made his announcement to 250 assembled journalists and party members at Trimdon Constituency Labour Club.
The atmosphere was emotional and affectionate, with party members clapping, singing and holding banners ahead of the long-awaited speech. The audience gave Mr Blair a standing ovation as he entered the room.
In a conciliatory speech he conceded that some people thought he had made mistakes as leader, and that expectations had been “too high” in 1997.
But he added that he firmly believed the country had improved over the last 10 years.
“My duty was to put the country first,” he said. “But what I had to learn as Prime Minister is what putting the country first really meant.”
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Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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