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Almost Half of All Britons Want Blair Out
- Many adults in Britain believe Tony Blair should step down soon, according to a poll by Ipsos-MORI. 47 per cent of respondents think the prime minister should resign immediately.
In May 2005, British voters renewed the House of Commons. The governing Labour party secured 356 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 197 and the Liberal Democrats with 62. Labour leader Blair has served as prime minister since 1997. In October 2004, Blair vowed to retire at the end of his third term in office. Chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown has been mentioned as his possible replacement.
Since March, Blair has been affected by a scandal over the appointments for peerage of specific Labour party campaign contributors. Four men who secretly donated money to the governing party—health entrepreneur Chai Patel, businessman David Garrard, stockbroker Barry Townsley, and Indian food magnate Gulam Noon—were later nominated for peerage by the prime minister.
Blair is planning a high-profile diplomatic mission to the Middle East. Last week, in an interview with The Times, senior Hezbollah member Ghaleb Abu Zeynab said Blair's presence in Lebanon would be detrimental, adding, "He is up to his ears in the blood of Lebanese women and children. He is not welcome here."
Polling Data
When do you think Tony Blair should step down as prime minister?
Immediately | 47% |
In 2006 | 9% |
In 2007 | 7% |
In 2008 | 3% |
Immediately before the | 7% |
After the next election | 6% |
Other | 10% |
Don't know | 10% |
Source: Ipsos-MORI
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 975 British adults, conducted from Aug. 11 to Aug. 13, 2006. No margin of error was provided.