Leading article: Why Tony Blair Should Go Now

[Greeby]

Source: The Independent

Gordon Brown's confirmation yesterday as the sole candidate for the leadership of the Labour Party after his only rival threw in the towel means that he will be the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. John McDonnell withdrew from the contest when it became clear that he could not muster the 45 nominations necessary to mount a challenge.

We would have preferred a full-blooded contest to decide Labour's next leader. Even a half-hearted contest in which the other participant was a token, left-wing challenger such as John McDonnell, would have been healthier for the party and the country than a coronation for Mr Brown. But the plain fact is that the Labour Party has been unable to put forward even a single challenger. And that raises an inescapable question: what are we waiting for?

A contest would have been an opportunity for Mr Brown to set out his policy stall to the British people. It would have been an opportunity for the Chancellor to tour the country listening to the concerns of the British public. It would have been a chance for us to evaluate the character of a still rather enigmatic man. But all that is irrelevant now. Mr Brown will be moving into 10 Downing Street.

In the event of a contest, there would have been a reason for Tony Blair to stay on as Prime Minister until a new leader had been formally chosen. But that reason has disappeared. Rather than waiting until 27 June to make the trip from Downing Street to Buckingham Palace to hand in his resignation, Mr Blair should hand over power to Mr Brown immediately.

Read more: http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2553899.ece

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[T_i_B]

1. I would not be suprised at all....

...if this argument gets repeated over and over for the next few weeks as people start to wonder why Gordon Brown can't just move next door ASAP if he's running unopposed.

[dave_p]

2. Maybe he has a bet with his pal Wolfowitz

... to see who can cling on longer.