Blair: I'll go within a year

British Prime Minister Tony Blair today confirmed he would leave office within 12 months, but refused to name a precise departure date.

Mr Blair said: “I would have preferred to do this in my own way, but the next party conference in the next couple of weeks will be my last party conference as party leader.

“The next TUC will be my last TUC.”

Mr Blair, speaking at a school in north-west London, said: ``I'm not going to set a precise date now. I don't think that's right. I will do that at a future date and I will do that in the interests of the country.''

He went on: “I think it’s important for the Labour Party to understand that it’s the public that comes first and it’s the country that matters and we can’t treat the country as an irrelevant bystander in a matter as important as who their Prime Minister should be.”