alternatehistory.com

March 17, 2003
TONY BLAIR RESIGNS

In a moment which had shaken British politics to its core, Tony Blair has announced his resignation as Prime Minister and as Leader of the Labour Party after nearly six years leading the United Kingdom. The Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Leader, John Prescott, resigned as well. Tony Blair’s resignation came as a shock all across the political spectrum, with it quickly becoming clear that a Cabinet rebellion against planned military action in Iraq had taken place and the Prime Minister had found his position untenable. Chancellor Gordon Brown has become the interim Leader of the Labour Party, and as a result the new Prime Minister, for the time being.

Tony Blair announced his resignation in a brief speech in front of 10 Downing Street, in which he maintained his belief that military action was the just decision, but acknowledged that he no longer had the support of the Labour party or of the Cabinet and so would retire from office “respectfully and with grace.” Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, strong proponents within the Cabinet for military action and close political allies of the Prime Minister, also resigned. His resignation was unexpected, and has made it near-certain that the United Kingdom will not be involved in military action against Iraq. However, this cannot be taken for granted, as Downing Street has yet to make an official statement on the matter beyond a formal confirmation of the change in Prime Minister and resignation of three Cabinet members. However, there are unconfirmed rumours that Speaker of the House Michael Martin has already received a request from Robin Cook, the Leader of the House of Commons, to remove the planned debate for military action from the Commons schedule.


Tony Blair speaks before Downing
Street for the final time

Gordon Brown will make a statement to the House of Commons later tonight, with MPs meeting in emergency session following today’s dramatic events. It comes as President Bush delivers an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein to leave Iraq or face war and there is some speculation that the change in government, which will almost certainly mean the United States goes to war alone, may force a delay in the launch of military action. Lindsey German, of the Stop the War Coalition, expressed delight that Britain would not be involved in an intervention in Iraq and claimed that Gordon Brown would be “remembered as a hero” for his opposition, but she warned that the new Prime Minister now had to work to “hold back the Americans” and prevent the outbreak of any war, while she also restated her continued opposition to the ongoing war in Afghanistan. Varying opinions have been expressed by the anti-war movement, though there is a near-universal sense of relief at the departure of Tony Blair. A similar sentiment has been expressed by left wing members of the Labour party, with some articulating hopes that the centre-ground platform of “New Labour” may be jettisoned. Iain Duncan Smith meanwhile reacted by calling the event a “national humiliation on par with Suez,” claiming the government as a whole had failed to stand with America, Britain’s closest ally, and had “shown itself to be afraid, putting us in far more danger than we were already in.” French President Jacques Chirac, and Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the change in British policy, with President Chirac calling the event “perhaps one of Great Britain’s biggest moments; the moment it decided it was with Europe, not with America.”


Protests against the war continued
despite the departure of Tony Blair

Analysis: Andrew Marr, chief political editor

Mister Blair left Downing Street for the last time in a manner much unlike the teary eyed departure of Margaret Thatcher, the last Prime Minister to be ousted by her Cabinet thirteen years ago. His final address was powerful, and he expressed optimism not just that peace and justice would eventually rule the Middle East but that, in his words, Britain’s best days lay just ahead of it. Head held high, the back door of his ministerial car was held open by an aide and he entered, before leaving the famed street for the final time. For journalists outside Downing Street at the time, such as myself, it was a shock to the system quite like no other. The only official word was that he’d be making a statement of “extreme importance.” What we got was still nothing like what we expected. And just like that, he was gone. In his place is his Chancellor, Gordon Brown, a man whose ambitions are known even to the most novice students of politics. He takes on the reins at a time where the future is uncertain for the world, for the country, and for his party. The end of six years of Blair rule is likely to present cracks within Labour, as the party’s left wing hopes it might be able to seize back control. But the sudden announcement has thrown the Conservatives into just as much turmoil. The party backs military action, and Iain Duncan Smith’s condemnation of the government’s abandonment of military action is already looking more and more like a potentially politically fatal misjudgement. Public opinion polls show a clear majority against military action and, though it is still too early to tell, it appears that this new government is starting life in a very good position.

But the reverberations are being felt not just here in Britain; the response across Europe has been positive, especially from the French government. But in the United States, a great deal of anxiety is reported. Some Republicans have lumped together Britain with France, accusing us of cowardice, while some in both parties have suggested that the lack of diplomacy by the Bush Administration had contributed, and isolated the US. The President has yet to make his own statement, but he has lost one of his biggest allies internationally and no doubt recognises the significance of his closest backers changing tune. While there is still optimism in Britain that the war can be stopped, it’s unlikely Britain joining France in saying “non” will have the Earth shattering effect some hope for.​
Top