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MANCHESTER, England (AP) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair speaks to his party Tuesday for the last time as its leader, offering a sweeping look at the Labour Party's achievements over the past decade and declaring it can win a fourth term of government.
Blair will use his speech to his party's conference to emphasize that the values which first carried Labour to victory in 1997 will be the cornerstone of the platform come the next British election -- widely expected in 2009.
"The scale of the challenges in 2007 dwarfs what we faced in 1997. They are different, deeper, and bigger," Blair will say, according to excerpts of his speech released in advance.
The party has suffered in the polls recently, with the electorate unhappy over issues such as the war in Iraq and recent scandals that have dogged Blair's government. Blair said last year that he would not run again; last month, he said he would be stepping down within the year.
Aides to the prime minister said Monday evening that Blair would not be naming the date he will leave office, and a Blair biographer said no one should expect him to anoint a successor.
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Blair became leader of the British Labour Party in July 1994 following the sudden death of his predecessor, John Smith. Under Blair's leadership, the party won a landslide victory in the May 1997 general election, ending 18 years of government by the UK's centre-right Conservative Party. Blair is the Labour Party's longest-serving Prime Minister, the only person to have led the party to three consecutive general election victories and the only Labour prime minister to serve more than one full consecutive term. He was the youngest person to attain the office of Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812.
Hokey, Blair fucked it up big time by being Bush's pet, but nevertheless imo he's one of Britain's best statesmen of the past decades... Hope the next PM won't be a too big euro sceptic...
Blair will use his speech to his party's conference to emphasize that the values which first carried Labour to victory in 1997 will be the cornerstone of the platform come the next British election -- widely expected in 2009.
"The scale of the challenges in 2007 dwarfs what we faced in 1997. They are different, deeper, and bigger," Blair will say, according to excerpts of his speech released in advance.
The party has suffered in the polls recently, with the electorate unhappy over issues such as the war in Iraq and recent scandals that have dogged Blair's government. Blair said last year that he would not run again; last month, he said he would be stepping down within the year.
Aides to the prime minister said Monday evening that Blair would not be naming the date he will leave office, and a Blair biographer said no one should expect him to anoint a successor.
Full story
Blair became leader of the British Labour Party in July 1994 following the sudden death of his predecessor, John Smith. Under Blair's leadership, the party won a landslide victory in the May 1997 general election, ending 18 years of government by the UK's centre-right Conservative Party. Blair is the Labour Party's longest-serving Prime Minister, the only person to have led the party to three consecutive general election victories and the only Labour prime minister to serve more than one full consecutive term. He was the youngest person to attain the office of Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812.
Hokey, Blair fucked it up big time by being Bush's pet, but nevertheless imo he's one of Britain's best statesmen of the past decades... Hope the next PM won't be a too big euro sceptic...
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