Times of India : Leak shows Blair plan to go in 'blaze of glory'

Leak shows Blair plan to go in 'blaze of glory'

September 5, 2005

LONDON: A leaked memo mapping out Tony Blair's departure from office shows his advisers are planning TV appearances and trips for his final weeks as prime minister.

They did not say when that might happen, but a cabinet minister said Tuesday that Blair would likely quit next year.

Pressure from within the governing Labour Party for Blair to set a time frame for his departure has intensified recently, but last week he shrugged off demands that he announce his plans at the party's annual conference later this month.

His advisers, however, have been quietly planning a farewell tour, the Daily Mirror reported. "As TB enters his final phase, he needs to be focusing way beyond the finishing line, not looking at it," the newspaper quoted the memo as saying.

"He needs to go with the crowds wanting more. He should be the star who won't even play that last encore. In moving towards the end, he must focus on the future." The memo did not specify when he might leave office.