Lawmakers in Tony Blair's Labour Party are circulating a draft of a letter calling on the prime minister to set a date for his departure, a legislator said yesterday.

Top party figures warned rebels among the rank-and-file against launching a coup that could destroy Labour, as Blair struggled to get his troubled government back on track after taking a beating in local elections.

Blair's likely successor said he did not know when the prime minister planned to go. He called for "renewal" in the party but criticized those publicly urging Blair to quit.

The prime minister's major government overhaul on Friday indicated he intends to hold onto his job. He often notes he won re-election to a third term just a year ago and says he plans to serve a full term, although he will not seek a fourth in elections expected in 2009.

However, his government has lurched from one crisis to the next in recent weeks.

The embarrassing third-place election showing followed a furore over officials' failure to screen foreign criminals for deportation when they were released from British prisons and allegations that Blair nominated Labour's financial backers to the House of Lords.

Blair's monthly press conference today is sure to be dominated by questions about his political future.

Labour lawmakers are circulating a draft letter urging Blair to set a schedule for his departure, but are not planning to make it public immediately, one Labour legislator said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he did not want to be publicly linked to the potential rebellion.

"The letter will materialize in due course if there's no change of mind on his part," the lawmaker said. "It can be posted at any time."

The lawmaker said rebels wanted to avoid damaging the party but were "prepared to be tough" if Blair didn't announce plans to step down. "People are struggling for the best way to thank Tony for all he's done for us and then say goodbye."

He said he didn't know how long the rebels would wait for Blair to meet their demands, but warned the timetable could be accelerated if the prime minister and his allies attacked their opponents instead of listening to them.

Blair's allies hit out against the rebels yesterday, saying that if the prime minister announced the timing of his departure, he would strengthen the opposition Conservatives. "They are not going to win," Home Secretary John Reid said on BBC television of Blair's Labour opponents.

Stephen Byers, a former transportation secretary and close Blair ally, said forcing the prime minister out would make an orderly transition to his successor widely expected to be Treasury chief Gordon Brown impossible.

Brown said he does not know when Blair plans to leave office. He said the party needed renewal but denied that amounted to a call for Blair to step down, and said rebels should not be allowed to set Labour's agenda.

Source:China Daily