Time for Blair to bow out, urges Short
Clare Short has called on Tony Blair to step down as Prime Minister.
The former international development secretary’s comments follow on from her emotional Commons’ resignation speech yesterday, in which she attacked Blair’s ‘control freak’ style of leadership.
The MP for Birmingham Ladywood, who has been six years at the post of international development secretary, resigned her position after she fell out with the Labour leadership, which she described previously as ‘reckless’ in what she claimed to be its unthinking endorsement of US foreign policy on the issue of the role of the UN in post-war Iraq.
She has accused Mr. Blair of betraying a promise to work for United Nations involvement in the aftermath of war.
In an interview with the Financial Times and Guardian newspapers, she called for a change of leadership and encouraged Labour members to organise ‘an elegant succession’ to Tony Blair. Should the PM heed her counsel Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown is the man most likely to take the helm.
Ms. Short told the newspapers it would be ‘very sad’ if the PM ‘hung on and spoiled his reputation.’
‘Lots of systems have constitutional limits of two terms; the wisdom of that, I think, everyone understands. I think Tony has got enormous achievements under his belt and it would be very sad if he hung on and spoiled his reputation,’ she said, adding, ‘I think an elegant handover would be a good idea… I think there’s a lot to be said for two terms.’
Ms. Short’s vacant ministerial seat is to be filled by Baroness Valerie Amos, the first black woman cabinet minister.
