An all-out power struggle between the UK chancellor Gordon Brown and prime minister Tony Blair, culminating with allegations by Mr Blair of blackmail and a ferocious shouting match between the two men, appeared last night to have forced Mr Blair to declare as early as today that he will not be prime minister this time next year.
That may not be enough for Mr Brown, who is understood to have demanded that Mr Blair quit by Christmas, with an effective joint premiership until a new leader is anointed by the party.
Mr Blair's statement will effectively confirm what cabinet ministers, including David Miliband, have been hinting about in the past few days. It represents a further shift in position as the prime minister struggles to cling to office and prevent a meltdown in the party.
But last night Mr Brown found himself under pressure to repudiate the move by some MPs to force Mr Blair from office now.
In probably the most astonishing day in the annals of New Labour, the use of the word blackmail to describe Mr Brown's recent actions by Downing Street staff was authorised for use by Mr Blair, and reflected his view that Mr Brown is orchestrating a coup against him.
Downing Street claimed the resignation yesterday of the junior defence minister Tom Watson and six parliamentary aides came with Mr Brown's agreement. The seven men quit the government demanding that Mr Blair stand down immediately. A seventh parliamentary aide, Iain Wright, resigned from the Government last night, according to sources.
Downing Street's allegations led to counter-accusations from the Brown camp of intimidation of backbench MPs by No 10 aides desperate to cling to office. As a result, the chances of the much-prized stable and orderly transition between the two men looked to have collapsed.
The recriminations came after meetings between the two men at Downing Street ended with Mr Blair rejecting Mr Brown's terms for allowing him to remain in office, including an accelerated timetable for Mr Blair's resignation by Christmas, and an effective joint premiership in the interim. - (Guardian service)