Blair's statement fails to dampen discontent

Tony Blair’s announcement today failed to quell the discontent among Labour MPs over his leadership.

Doug Henderson, a close ally of Gordon Brown, said it was not clear that the electorate now knew any more about the Prime Minister’s intentions than they did before his statement.

Mr Henderson said: “It does not seem to me that the public know any more about the Prime Minister’s retirement plans.

“People keep saying to me that the Labour Party must have a clear direction forward with clear priorities and a new leader before the elections in 2007.”

Northern Secretary Peter Hain backed the Chancellor, adding that it was “right” that he should succeed Mr Blair when he stands down.

He went on to call for an “orderly handover” of the leadership and not a “chaotic putsch”.

Mr Hain said: “Both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are class acts, and I have no doubt that when the time comes next year, the party will choose Gordon to succeed Tony – and it’s right that he should.

“After a difficult week, it is now time for us to get back to work and to focus not just on the task of securing an unprecedented fourth term, but also on delivering the third-term policy agenda on which we were elected only last year.

“Implementing those policies means an orderly handover, not a chaotic putsch. We were elected on a programme of government, and we owe it to the voters to deliver it, not to engage in prolonged navel-gazing.”