British Prime Minister Tony Blair has told members of his cabinet inner circle that he had set a departure date for himself in mid-2007, British Sunday newspapers reported.

According to reports from The Independent on Sunday, The Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday, Blair has decided to quit between next year's local elections in Britain and the Labor Party annual autumn conference.

One anonymous cabinet minister, when asked by The Independent on Sunday whether the prime minister had told him he would stand down halfway through next year, he reportedly replied: "I wouldn't disagree with that."

The Conservative Party's success in beating Labor in local elections last week sparked intense speculation about when Blair would go. Many parliamentary colleagues have called for him to announce his intended departure date.

Blair has not named a specific date yet, saying it would make him harder to focus on governing. He also said he wants to make a "stable and orderly" handover to his successor, who is widely expected to be Treasury chief Gordon Brown.

Source: Xinhua