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| The front page of British newspaper The Sun is seen September 5, 2006. [Reuters] |
British Prime Minister Tony Blair will stay in power for another year, a close ally said on Tuesday, while a leaked memo detailed plans for a "farewell tour" that would see Blair take his leave like a "star".
The comments by Environment Secretary David Miliband were widely seen as having been authorized by the prime minister in an attempt to quell a growing rebellion by members of his Labour Party who are demanding he give a timetable for leaving office.
Prime minister for nine years, Blair has said he will not seek a fourth term and will give his successor - expected to be finance minister Gordon Brown - ample time to settle in before the next general election, expected in 2009.
Although some Labour members of parliament were satisfied by the assurance, many others were not.
A draft letter calling for Blair to set an exit date was reported to be circulating and to have enough support from Labour legislators to suggest Blair could face a leadership challenge if he did not heed it.
Blair's office denied having received the letter.
"The conventional wisdom is that the prime minister sees himself carrying on for about another 12 months," Miliband told BBC radio.
Blair's popularity has plunged after a series of government scandals over sleaze and mismanagement, as well as controversy over the Iraq war. Opinion polls put Labourwell behindthe opposition Conservatives.
Despite intense pressure, Blair, 53, has refused to say precisely when he will go.
(Agencies) |
英国首相布莱尔的一位阁中密友周二透露，布莱尔还将留任一年。此外，一个详细描述布莱尔离任计划的备忘录也被公开，他将像一位“明星”一样举行一场“告别演出”。
公众一致认为，这是布莱尔授权环境部大臣大卫·米里邦德放出的消息，目的是为了平息工党内部人士不断要求其公开卸任时间表的呼声。
布莱尔首相的任期已达9年，他表示自己不会再争取第四个任期，并会让继任者--现任财政大臣戈登·布朗在2009年下届大选之前有充足的时间做好接任准备。
虽然布莱尔的承诺让一些工党议员松了口气，但是还有很多其他的人并不满意。
有消息称，一封催促布莱尔公布卸任日期的公开信目前已收集到很多工党议员的签名，如果布莱尔不予理睬，他的领袖地位则将面临挑战。
但是，布莱尔方面表示并没有收到这封信。
米里邦德在接受英国广播公司采访时说：“布莱尔首相还将继续留任1年。”
由于布莱尔卷入政府腐败和执政能力下降等一系列的丑闻之中，再加上国内对伊拉克战争问题的种种争议，布莱尔的名誉和声望大大下降。据英国国内的民意调查显示，如今工党的支持率已大大低于在野党保守党。
虽然53岁的布莱尔目前面临着很大的压力，但是他仍然拒绝公开自己卸任的准确时间。
(英语点津姗姗编辑)
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