A strange morning. With voting starting up in the local elections all was quiet on the Westminster front, and then a news wire drop from the Press Association agency saying Tony Blair would announce next week his retirement as an MP as well as party leader.

It quoted "sources", which never inspires complete confidence.... but PA is respected and authoritative enough that what it says should be taken seriously.

I can't say it came as a complete surprise. There's been speculation around that the Prime Minister would draw a line under his Westminster career in order to concentrate on whatever future globe-trotting tasks he might take on.

When Adam Boulton asked him at a recent Downing Street news conference whether he might quit as an MP, he ducked the issue.

And there had been talk of a meeting of Tony Blair's constituency Labour party towards the end of next week at which a "major announcement" might be made.

Downing Street were quick to jump on the story though. Next week's announcement, we were told, would only concern Tony Blair's position as Labour party leader.

At the morning lobby briefing, the Prime Minister's official spokesman told us that Mr Blair had made "no decision whatsoever to stand down as an MP."

So where does that leave us? Well Tony Blair will certainly still be Sedgefield MP at the end of next week, but the possibility remains that he'll be gone sometime soon after that.

After all, he could have said something along the lines of "I intend to continue as MP for Sedgefield," but chose not to.

Instead it seems, he simply hasn't made up his mind. Perhaps it depends on what offers come rolling in once he is Ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair? For now, the voters of Sedgefield may, like the rest of us, be feeling slightly bemused.

(Posted by: Sky News Political Correspondent, Joey Jones)

Comments

[Trevor 7 May 2007 10:09:57]

I was looking for the final score in the UK local elections, but Sky seems to have now removed the results summary.

Perhaps Comical Gary can remind us how many seats it was that Labour won in the local elections, and whether it matched his prediction?

[DENNIS HERTS 4 May 2007 19:08:05]

PATRICIA AT LAST A SOUL MATE
I also remember the (Parky)Park keeper was not above giving you a swift clip, the usherete at Saturday morning pictures would haul you out by your ear if you were cheeky,If you did that today there would be cries of child abuse,as you stated it was Mum and Dad you knew where you stood, if Dad got involved you were in real trouble,I know there are many single Mums and Dads out there but there is a lot to be said for the raditional family until.

[Patricia 4 May 2007 17:09:53]

I was brought up in the North East of England and I can agree and identify whole heartedly with Dennis' comments re the rise in crime. When I was a child we had a local bobby who had no reservations about dishing out a clip on the ear or a stern talking to when he found we kids doing something we oughtn't. We would beseech him not to tell our parents because a week of bed without supper would have been getting off lightly-believe me!

However, the same guy would happily join in a quick game of hopscotch or paint a pattern on ones top during the 'top and whip'season. He would have been appalled at the attitude of today's police to a few childish games.We respected him.

In those days too having two married parents was the norm, illegitimacy was to be avoided at all costs. The 60s idea of free love and 'let it all hang out' started the rot.
Children and teenagers today are violent and destructive because they know they will get away with it!

[The Morning Post Sri Lanka 4 May 2007 15:04:43]

Fluffy

Please remind me of the local election result in the Socialist Republic of Stoke. Did commrade Elsby win the day or did he lose New Labour cadre's to the other lot as happened in most of the UK?

[DENNIS HERTS 4 May 2007 14:51:46]

TO /VICTOR N.W.KENT

I respect your views. Yes, there has always been crime I was brought up in the East End of London I am not going to preach the honour among thieves thing because you always get shouted down, but in those days there were kids with no seat in their pants and many people were poor, but you could leave your door open, there was never one burglary.

Nurses, paramedics, firemen and our local Bobby were respected, even the local postman was given his due respect.What happened? We now have paramedics wearing stab vest as routine, firefighters ambushed by yobs, the highest assault rate on nurses and medical staff ever. The police, well you never see any.

"Where did we go wrong?" That's the $1000000 question

[fluffy, London, England 4 May 2007 14:11:38]

Congratulations to Gary E., Peter of Fife, and Effie!

You correctly predicted a magnificent victory for Tony Blair and New Labour. Your hero may now ride off into the sunset safe in the knowledge that we, the electorate, love and adore every ounce of his soul!

[David, Hampshire 4 May 2007 13:52:39]

The American Lecture circuit beckons, those rich businessmen love their $500 a plate dinners with stories of gunslingers shooting up the Wild West (or in this case Middle East). And the BA Platinum card with a squillion air miles will come in especially handy in touring the world preaching to all and sundry about our carbon footprint.

[Victor, NW Kent 4 May 2007 11:53:39]

Dennis - very good piece - but speaking as a man who has learned to despise Blair since about 2002 I think you are a bit off the mark. It is not Blair who breaks the windows, trashes the cars and sprays the graffitti. It is the people who live there, largely at the expense of the taxpayer, without work, education, male role models [except for footballers and drug peddlars], or a firm police presence.

They exist not only here but in Paris, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Belfast, Frankfurt, Mexico City.

They exist under almost any political administration except in Singapore which is a small state controlled in a totalitarian way and in Mauritius where the inhabitants seem to be different in basic attitude. They were there in Victorian times and when Churchill was PM. However, they are the true heartland of Socialist movements and continue to vote, in this country, for Labour.

If the Conservatives regain power nothing will change in those areas just as it has never changed under any Labour administration. There will still be inadequate police patrols, and an anti-social culture.

[Khalid 4 May 2007 10:00:57]

What a choice indeed for the PM by way of professions to choose from whenever he so chooses to step down. No matter what, despite being a strange morning, “She’s lost Control-Grace Jones”!

[Peter, Bedfordshire 4 May 2007 09:48:25]

Blair passing on his leadership to Brown is a bit like your best mate giving you his used condom

[Brian Penny Ashford 4 May 2007 09:45:40]

Like many, many people I am so bitterly disappointed with Blair's 10 years in power. All the broken promises and lies. Too many to really mention.

The worst though: weapons of mass destruction, the excuse for an illegal war, where are they? The demise of the N.H.S. under a so called Labour government and the incestuous "sucking up" to the U.S.A. I used to think Thatcher was arrogant but she had nothing on this man.

I write as a Socialist who is a disillusioned ex-Labour party supporter and member.

[The Morning Post Sri Lanka 4 May 2007 09:45:00]

It will be a case of handing over to Gordon Brown and then twiddling his thumbs a while whilst his new US based and financed political foundation is established and US oil barons funds put in place.

Then it will be a case of 'I'll be seeing you Sedgefield' bye bye UK, hello Congressional Medal of Honor and hi to his families new life across the pond, writing memoirs and circumnavigating the globe in search of that elusive Blair legacy.

[Merv. Beszant, Dubai 4 May 2007 09:01:53]

DENNIS,

I always love reading your comments, and your latest one convinced me that you should be granted a ten minute audience with Mr. and Mrs. Blair, as I'm sure that they would not only love your sense of humour, but would, hopefully, appreciate that the situation that you describe does actually exist.

Out of interest, would they get to choose the curtains if they moved into a Council flat?

[Philip, Bristol 4 May 2007 07:49:43]

On the subject of the elections, I would just like to announce that, from the perspective of our Tone (an all right sort of guy as we all know) and Prudence, there is no dispute over the following:

The absorption of all the colours of the visible spectrum and reflection none of them is not inconsistent with it being the combination of all the colours of the visible light spectrum.

Ergo Black is White so we did all right!

[DENNIS HERTS 3 May 2007 21:58:29]

I think the Blairs should be given a Free Council Flat on the 12th floor of a cosy Tower Block as a mark of their service to the public, plenty of exercise as it will always out of order and the smell of urine gives you that nice back to basics feel. If they are art lovers the range of graffiti would keep any art critic happy, as for excitement well just take a walk round the estate with your mobile phone or some other item of value on show, if you want a real adventure do this after dark.

Cherie will then have the chance to tell the great bunch of guys who turn up all about Human Rights and how they are mis-understood by society,they can lay in bed at night and listen to the beautiful blends of ethnic and other music drifting up at 2.00a.m. in the morning. They will even get a chance to hone their D.I.Y skills replacing broken windows, wing mirrors and other car parts.

If they feel they would like a change of address they could spend a happy few hours at the housing office only to find someone who has just arrived in the country has beaten them to it. They can play phone the Police and take bets on how long they will take to turn up.

Come on Tony, it's your chance to live in the world you have created.

[E Welshman 3 May 2007 20:06:01]

Why the media virtual silence concerning the elections?

Are you acting on instructions from No 10 to dampen down all publicity in the hope of a low turn-out?

A low turnout possibly could do two things:
1. Help Labour to hold on to a few more seats
2. Allow Tone some wriggle-room by trying persuade us later that the parties winning seats can't possibly have a mandate with such a low voting base. The voters can't be so miffed with me - look, not many have taken the trouble to protest - we can't take this as a measure of a general election - I am still as popular as ever!

Over to you Grabber Gordon to carry on the good work!

[alan mcpartland dublin 3 May 2007 19:37:11]

Of course he will retire as an MP. He is far too puffed up with his own sense of self importance to continue serving as a mere mortal. This after all is the man who saved the health service (5 mins) and the man who saved Great Britain (45 mins). Phew! That was close on both counts.

Could we not persuade him to stay on? After all "Liarman" is right up there with the likes of Superman and Spiderman. A true hero of our times.

[Maurice - Northumberland 3 May 2007 19:11:49]

He's playing the Prima Donna, everything else he has done or been involved in has been theatrical, unfortunately a tragedy for the British people and Britain as a whole!

Some still refuse to acknowledge/recognise or accept it, but they will have no choice but to in the not so distant future! By which time Tone will have received his Honorary Equity Card, and justifiably so!

[fluffy, London, England 3 May 2007 16:28:52]

One expects the creep will flee in to exile, possibly with his mafia mate in Italy - Silvio "The Don" Berlusconi.

One thing New Labour has - and will never - stood for is the rule-of-law and justice!

[Peter, Fife 3 May 2007 16:22:57]

Yes there does seem to be differing opinions although Downing Street announced yesterday that it is his intent to announce plans for his immediate future, not his plans to step down as PM, Leader of the Labour Party or as an MP.

I think these three events need to be sequenced although I must admit to not being fully au fait with the rules of the Labour Party; however I feel part of the answer may well lie in the Labour Party’s procedures.

Much contemplation will have gone into holding the limelight, this may also form a part of Mr & Mrs Blair’s main rationale; however after the starter’s gun has sounded Tony Blair becomes merely a point of reference, unless of course he invades Iran.

I have thought long and hard since Tony Blair made his original faux pas, I still cannot envisage Tony Blair as a back bencher; I do not think he will immediately stand down as an MP, thus triggering a by election unless of course he had an ulterior motive.

[JS, London 3 May 2007 15:53:21]

Hypothetically, if Blair was to stand against Brown in a Labour party leadership contest, who would win?

If Brown lost would he resign as an MP?

[John Sherman, Kefalonia, Greece 3 May 2007 15:22:55]

It is not just Blair who needs to step down, it's his entire party that needs to go. You know the one, the one like you I voted for in 1997, just as many of you did.

Things can only get better, you all remember the song. That was New Labours first piece of lying spin. Oh how the years have rolled on, and England that was once a great and powerful country is now on its knees. That's what 10 years of Blair, John, and Gordon have done for your vote.

[Madnurse 3 May 2007 15:19:13]

I cannot imagine for one moment that Mr Blair's ego would allow him not to be running the show so I would expect him to resign his seat as well as his leadership.
I could not imagine he would be happy with just a backbencher's pay packet either.

With Blair gone everyone wins, Sedgefield can elect an MP that can concentrate on Sedgefield issues rather than Iraq, the Labour Party can try to win favour with the electorate again once the elected dictator has gone, oh no they can't because Brown will be there to remind us, and the country can try to get it's credibility back on the international scene but that may take some time.

[Cecil Van Percywinks 3 May 2007 14:49:19]

MP for Sedgefield is small fish to PM... though it's not quite the same thing. Howard remained MP for Folkestone & Heath after quitting as leader of the Tories, and there wasn't much of a media fuss, except for Michael Crick's Newsnight piece about Sir Stanley Kalm's demand for Howard to push off sooner than hang on for a few months, but that's Crick for you; loves to poke a few stories where he can.

The West Lothian question is what I think matters more right now.

[Merv. Beszant, Dubai. 3 May 2007 13:43:06]

I can't imagine, for one minute, that Mr. Blair will want to continue as an ordinary M.P., after having been a Prime Minister, especially when you consider that many of the other, ordinary, M.P.s were responsible for him having to give up his prime ministerial position.

Although I loathed the manner in which his fellow M.P.s turned against him, I do feel that his own integrity does come into question when you consider the manner with which he has treated many of his own people when they have been in trouble.

Maybe it's a case of 'what goes around, comes around', but in any event, I don't think Mr. Blair will have very much of a problem finding another high profile, and lucrative, job outside of politics.