British Prime Minister Tony Blair's vision for a third term in office won him rapturous applause and the once-bitter divisions over Iraq were barely apparent. But at the close of the governing Labour Party's annual conference this week, questions lingered over how long he will last as prime minister.
The convention was the first since Blair declared that this five-year term would be his last. Still full of the reforming zeal that catapulted Labour to power, Blair signaled on Thursday he has no intentions of stepping down soon.
Blair told delegates that leadership and a desire to confront tough challenges, still ran like a "strip of granite" through his being.
Blair said he still has unfinished business before he leaves Downing Street -- overhauling the education system, tackling a crisis in state pensions, improving health care -- hoping to cement a political legacy other than the divisive invasion of Iraq.
But the clock is ticking for Blair. His popularity was wounded by his enthusiastic support for the Iraq war and suspicions his government deliberately hyped the threat posed by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to justify the invasion.
Although Labour won a third consecutive election earlier this year, its huge lead in parliament was slashed, largely due to the war -- prompting questions about his leadership and authority. Sections of the party are also unhappy with his unrelenting drive to overhaul Britain's public services.
Waiting patiently in the sidelines is Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, the man most likely to succeed Blair as Labour leader and prime minister.
A string of Cabinet ministers this week said they expected Brown, widely respected for his deft handling of the economy, to take the helm when Blair steps down. The burning question on the minds of many delegates is exactly when that will be. The timing of a hand-over divides the party.
"The prime minister is obviously at the top of his game but it is now time to hand the baton on," said Tony Woodley, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union.
Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer disagreed.
"Britain cannot afford to lose that prime minister at this stage and he has got a lot to do," he said.
Perhaps the clearest indication of Blair's plans came from his wife, Cherie. She brushed off suggestions her husband was ready to resign.
"Darling, that is a long way in the future," she told the BBC. "It is too far ahead for me to even think about yet."
The Blair-Brown saga dates back more than a decade when both jostled to be leader of the party in 1994, following the death of John Smith. Brown grudgingly stood aside in favor of his more dynamic, younger colleague.
The pair were widely reported to have struck a deal -- never formally confirmed -- that if Labour won power, Blair would step down after about six years and let Brown take the helm.
The deadline for the switch passed two years ago and Brown is said to be impatient.
"I think at the moment Blair is master of his own destiny and can go whenever he wants as long as he goes before the election," said political analyst Phil Cowley. "But who knows how things will be in six to eight months time."
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