British Prime Minister Tony Blair will announce today that he will quit within a year, following one of the most serious political crises of his premiership.

Six members of the British government today resigned their posts in protest at Tony Blair’s refusal to name a date for his resignation, as Blair warned that they were putting Labour’s electoral prospects at risk.

Aircraft builder Airbus is seeking volunteers for redundancies and proposing a shorter working week in a bid to avoid huge lay-offs because of falling demand.