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| Blair hits out over 'disloyality' | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Tony Blair has branded ex-junior minister Tom Watson "disloyal, discourteous and wrong" for signing a round robin letter urging the PM to go. | |
| It comes as Mr Blair faces growing pressure to name a departue date or to quit before the end of the year. | |
| Close allies of Gordon Brown say claims Mr Blair will quit by May next year are "not good enough". | Close allies of Gordon Brown say claims Mr Blair will quit by May next year are "not good enough". |
| Just minutes after Mr Watson announced his decision to quit, Mr Blair said he was going to sack him anyway. | |
| Mr Watson resigned saying it was no longer in the country's best interests for Mr Blair to remain in office. | |
| The Sun says Mr Blair will go on 31 May, but Number 10 has insisted it did not leak the date to the newspaper adding it would not be giving a "runnning commentary on dates". | |
| 'New leadership needed' | 'New leadership needed' |
| The resignation by defence minister Mr Watson will have all the more impact as he is known as a Blair loyalist, who has served as a government whip and was expected to rise through the ministerial ranks under the prime minister. | The resignation by defence minister Mr Watson will have all the more impact as he is known as a Blair loyalist, who has served as a government whip and was expected to rise through the ministerial ranks under the prime minister. |
| To sign a round robin letter which was then leaked to the press was disloyal, discourteous and wrong Tony Blair href="/1/hi/uk_politics/5319854.stm" class="">In full: Watson's resignation | |
| In his letter to Mr Blair, Mr Watson wrote: "It is with the greatest sadness that I have to say that I no longer believe that your remaining in office is in the interest of either the party or the country. | In his letter to Mr Blair, Mr Watson wrote: "It is with the greatest sadness that I have to say that I no longer believe that your remaining in office is in the interest of either the party or the country. |
| "How and why this situation has arisen no longer matters. I share the view of the overwhelming majority of the party and the country that the only way the party and the government can renew itself in office is urgently to renew its leadership." | "How and why this situation has arisen no longer matters. I share the view of the overwhelming majority of the party and the country that the only way the party and the government can renew itself in office is urgently to renew its leadership." |
| But in a statement, Mr Blair said he only heard from the press about Mr Watson's departure. | |
| "I had been intending to dismiss him but wanted to extend to him the courtesy of speaking to him first," he said. | |
| "Had he come to me privately and expressed his view about the leadership, that would have been one thing. | |
| "But to sign a round robin letter which was then leaked to the press was disloyal, discourteous and wrong. | |
| "It would therefore have been impossible for him to remain in government." | |
| Meanwhile, leading Brownites are calling for the prime minister to make a public declaration about when he will go, so that he cannot go back on it. | Meanwhile, leading Brownites are calling for the prime minister to make a public declaration about when he will go, so that he cannot go back on it. |
| 'Change wanted' | |
| One of the chancellor's closest allies told the BBC News website: "From Gordon's point of view there has to be a public statement. | One of the chancellor's closest allies told the BBC News website: "From Gordon's point of view there has to be a public statement. |
| "Blair has to let it be known when he will go and there has to be a public declaration." | "Blair has to let it be known when he will go and there has to be a public declaration." |
| Ex-minister Doug Henderson, also a Brown supporter, says he cannot see what Mr Blair will achieve in the next 12 months. | Ex-minister Doug Henderson, also a Brown supporter, says he cannot see what Mr Blair will achieve in the next 12 months. |
| "There should be a new leader in place by the end of March," he said, in time for the local elections and mid-term polls in Scotland and Wales. | |
| He said the timetable suggested by allies of Mr Blair - that he would go in about 12 months time - seemed "the worst time to appoint a new leader". | He said the timetable suggested by allies of Mr Blair - that he would go in about 12 months time - seemed "the worst time to appoint a new leader". |
| "People in the country want a change," he told the BBC News website. | "People in the country want a change," he told the BBC News website. |
| But although he thought Mr Brown was "head and shoulders above any other candidate" he still thought there should be a proper leadership contest. | But although he thought Mr Brown was "head and shoulders above any other candidate" he still thought there should be a proper leadership contest. |
| Letter | Letter |
| The Sun says that after stepping down as Labour leader on 31 May, Mr Blair's time as prime minister would come to an end on 26 July 2007. | The Sun says that after stepping down as Labour leader on 31 May, Mr Blair's time as prime minister would come to an end on 26 July 2007. |
| He should be the star who won't even play that last encore Leaked memo from Blair allies Key quotes: leaked memo Analysis: How will Blair go? Newspaper feeding frenzy | He should be the star who won't even play that last encore Leaked memo from Blair allies Key quotes: leaked memo Analysis: How will Blair go? Newspaper feeding frenzy |
| Speculation over Mr Blair's departure date was reignited by a letter signed by 17 normally loyal Labour MPs - including Mr Watson - urging the PM to quit to end uncertainty. | |
| Former chief whip Hilary Armstrong, a prominent member of Mr Blair's inner circle, echoing comments by Cabinet colleague David Miliband, said: "We expect that there will be a new leader in position for conference 2007." | Former chief whip Hilary Armstrong, a prominent member of Mr Blair's inner circle, echoing comments by Cabinet colleague David Miliband, said: "We expect that there will be a new leader in position for conference 2007." |
| Ex-Cabinet minister David Blunkett Mr Blunkett told the BBC that it was now "pretty clear that there is an understanding about a date next year - whether it's 31 May when he announces it is open to speculation". | Ex-Cabinet minister David Blunkett Mr Blunkett told the BBC that it was now "pretty clear that there is an understanding about a date next year - whether it's 31 May when he announces it is open to speculation". |
| Mr Blunkett conceded that there were "a handful of people who want the prime minister to go now". | Mr Blunkett conceded that there were "a handful of people who want the prime minister to go now". |
| "Whilst I respect their view, I think it's basically not on - it's tantamount to stabbing the prime minister in the back having won a third unique parliamentary term." | "Whilst I respect their view, I think it's basically not on - it's tantamount to stabbing the prime minister in the back having won a third unique parliamentary term." |
| Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton called for an end to the "obsession about dates and particularly forcing a date out of the prime minister". | Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton called for an end to the "obsession about dates and particularly forcing a date out of the prime minister". |