Wednesday, 2 May, 2007, 08:37
LONDON: British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday gave his most explicit backing yet for Chancellor Gordon Brown to be his successor, and said he will soon give a date for his departure after 10 years in power.
Blair, who has long refused to publicly endorse his ally-turned-foe Brown to take over from him in 10 Downing Street, said the finance minister would make a “great prime minister”.
“Within the next few weeks, I won’t be prime minister of this country,” Blair said in Edinburgh, 10 years to the day since the 1997 general election that saw his Labour Party swept to power.
But in his strongest hint yet that Brown will take over, he added: “In all probability, a Scot will become prime minister of the UK. – AFP