British Press Eager to See Off Lame Duck PM Blair

LONDON, April 28, 2007 — -- As we approach the end of April, the main question posed in British newspapers seems to be: "Will he? Won't he? And when will it happen?"

The subject of all this feverish speculation?

Not the impending deployment of Britain's Prince Harry to Iraq but British Prime Minister Tony Blair's expected resignation. It has London's newspaper editors all worked up.

Ever since Blair announced on Sept. 30, 2004, that he would not seek to lead his Labor Party into another national election, journalists have been desperate to predict his date of departure.

This week alone has seen the mention of two different prospective dates -- May 5 or even as early as May 1.

Why the hurry to see off the prime minister? According to veteran columnist Simon Jenkins, "after 10 years, it's quite an event to see a prime minister step down."

But headlines like "Blair urged to quit early as Scottish poll disaster looms" and "Blair's legacy will be a divided kingdom" suggest that the excitement surrounding his resignation isn't entirely friendly.

Friday, both the conservative broadsheet The Daily Telegraph and the right-leaning tabloid, The Daily Express, reported that Blair was likely to announce his resignation on Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of his election as prime minister.

With the Labor Party expected to do badly in upcoming local elections in Scotland, England and Wales, such an announcement would -- it is believed -- deflect attention from poor polling results, possibly the worst in 20 years.

Even Blair's supporters have told The Daily Telegraph that the prime minister is now so unpopular in the country that his resignation could actually improve Labor's election prospects.

But, much as some in the Labor Party might want this to be the case, with Blair himself acknowledging his role as a liability in Thursday's elections, the prime minister's office does not agree.

Friday morning, Blair's spokesperson had only "one word for the stories: wrong. The stories this morning are wrong." As for Blair, he told reporters not to "hold your breath on that story."