Britain´s Blair to announce departure Thursday

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Source: CCTV.com | 05-10-2007 12:39

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair leaves 10 Downing Street in London to attend Prime Minister's questions in the House of Commons May 9, 2007. REUTERS/Alessia Pierdomenico

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to announce when he will step aside later today. He is likely to allow Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to take over as prime minister.

Prime Minister Tony Blair will be remembered for the Labour Party's first ever three straight election wins and for dragging his party away from its left-wing roots to the center of British politics.

Although the UK has had consistent economic growth during Blair's years in office, confidence in the prime minister has collapsed.

Blair's enthusiastic support for the US-led invasion of Iraq has reduced his popularity.

US President George W. Bush said, "Britain and America are old allies and the prime minister and I are strong friends."

And his close relationship with US President George W. Bush appears to have cost him dearly.

Dale Brown, senior fellow strategic & Int'l studies center, said, "I think this is a special relationship, and it will continue, and it will continue not because of any particular personalities on one side or the other, or arguments or agreements, disagreements. But because it is basically a civilizational and cultural relationship between peoples who see the world very much the same way. "

The announcement of Blair's timetable for departure is likely to trigger a Labour Party leadership contest as the head of the largest party in Britain's Parliament traditionally serves as prime minister.

Treasury chief Gordon Brown is the man widely predicted to succeed Blair as leader of the Labour Party.

And Brown has already been nominated by over half the Parliamentary Labour Party members.

Editor:Du Xiaodan