The Long Goodbye

Tony Blair takes a bow and submits his resignation to the queen.

ByABC News
June 27, 2007, 10:33 AM

LONDON, June 27, 2007 — -- Today Britain will welcome its first new prime minister in over a decade as Tony Blair formally resigns and hands over power to Gordon Brown.

But first, the goodbyes.

Blair initially announced his decision to hand over the reins to Brown on May 10 of this year.

Since then he has been busy, embarking on a tour of Africa, traveling to Germany for the G-8 summit and calling on his friend, President Bush, in Washington, D.C.

The close relationship between the two men has led many in the British media to speculate that Blair will be missed more by the White House than by the British public.

In addition to the many journalists assembled outside the prime minister's official residence at 10 Downing Street, six military families took up their places there at 10 a.m. today.

Carrying placards of family members killed in the Iraq War, they were perhaps the best example of the hostility surrounding Blair as he leaves office.

According to a poll undertaken by ICM and the Guardian newspaper last winter, many here feel betrayed by the government's decision to invade Iraq. Close to two-thirds of the people polled in October 2006 demanded a British withdrawal from the country.

Today though most of Blair's colleagues in the House of Commons put aside disagreements on foreign policy and home affairs to pay tribute to Britain's longest serving Labor Prime Minister.

The leader of the opposition Conservative party, David Cameron, surprised many by trading the expected verbal insults for a song of praise, saying: "For 13 years he has led his party, for 10 years he has led our country, and no one can be in any doubt in terms of the huge efforts he has made in terms of public service."

He was joined by the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Menzies Campbell, who commended Blair for being "unfailingly courteous," despite their many disagreements over Iraq and other issues.

Although Blair looked more relieved than depressed to be leaving office, he will likely find adjusting to life as a civilian harder than expected.