Tony Blair to Resign as Prime Minister of England

Great Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced his resignation of the post, effective June 27, as soon as a new leader is elected from the Labour party. Blair served Britain's highest post for over ten years, through wars and peace-time. "In this job, in the world of today, I think that's long enough for me but more especially for the country. Sometimes the only way you conquer the pull of power is to set it down," said Blair to his constituents Thursday morning.

Blair's resignation has been expected since 2004, when he announced that his third term would be his last. Blair met earlier with his cabinet members, subsequently avoiding the hoards or media swarming outside of No. 10 Downing Street.

Gordon Brown, the chief of the treasury, was Blair's partner when reforming the Labour Party. He is expected to easily win election as the party's new leader and become the next prime minister of Great Britain. Brown has already declared himself to be a candidate for the upcoming election. Blair has not given his stamp of approval on Brown as the next great world leader, but he has said recently that he would "make a great prime minister."

During his time as prime minister, Blair accomplished great things for his home country. Scotland and Wales were granted regional governments, the Bank of England was allowed to set interest rates, and peace talks proved successful in war-torn Northern Ireland.

Tony Blair was facing increased scrutiny in his support of the United States' war in Iraq. Back in England, citizens became increasingly impatient of Blair's endorsement of the Bush administration, and they showed their feelings in anti-war marches throughout the country. Once the claim of "weapons of mass destruction" was discovered to be unfounded, support of Blair's foreign policy plummeted even further. "When I first started in politics, I wanted to please everyone," Blair in December. "After a time I learned that you can't please everyone, and you learn that the best thing is to do what you think is right and everyone can make their judgment."