BLAIR WILL QUIT AS MP

EXCLUSIVE

By Ian Kirby

TONY Blair aims to quit as an MP after walking out of Downing Street.

He will stand down as MP for Sedgefield in the autumn, triggering a by-election.

He has told members of his local Labour Party in the north-east he does not want to "get in the way on the back benches".

Mr Blair, 53, has been in the Commons for 24 years.

He had privately agreed to stay out of domestic politics for five years to give Gordon Brown, below, a clear run as Prime Minister.

But now he has decided to make a clean break. He broke the news to his agent John Burton last month.

A Labour Party source in the north east said: "Once he has left Downing Street he will be out of the country for most of the time.

"Labour might have a 60-plus majority but there are votes coming up in the Commons where everyone will count.

"Gordon Brown will not want Tony to be sitting on the backbenches, and Tony won't want to pretend he's busy with constituency business.

"Tony has earned the chance to choose his departure time and is now ready to give someone else a chance. He'll go in the autumn." With an 18,457 majority, his seat should be safe from a Tory or Lib Dem challenge.

Two close aides of Mr Blair are favourites to vie for the seat.

Geordie Labour fixer Phil Wilson and ex-Downing Street aide Patrick Diamond are leaders. Phil Wilson campaigned as a teenage activist for Mr Blair when he first contested Sedgefield in 1983.

Patrick Diamond, former special adviser to close Blair ally Alan Milburn, was part of Mr Blair's last general election campaign team.

The formal search for a candidate is not expected to start until October.

Mr Blair is expected to stand down as an MP after the Labour Party conference in September.