Carey to announce retirement

The Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, is believed to be days from announcing his retirement.

Dr Carey, who does not have to retire until his 70th birthday in 2005, is believed to be planning to leave the job in November after almost 12 years in office.

Speculation about his departure has been rife in recent months but sources close to the Archbishop indicated yesterday that an announcement was imminent.

Dr Carey, who was appointed from the evangelical wing of the Anglican communion on the recommendation of Margaret Thatcher in 1990, had a shaky start to his tenure. His early years were characterised by splits among a restive clergy and negative press coverage.

However, he gradually asserted himself as an authoritative leader of the church, winning strong support from African and Asian Anglican bishops and acceptance from the Establishment. At the Queen's request he has agreed to remain in office for her Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Opposing camps within the Church of England are already jockeying for position in what is expected to be a closely fought battle for the succession. The leading candidates are the Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir Ali, a prominent conservative, and the liberal Archbishop of Wales, Rowan Williams.

Strong alternative candidates include Christopher Herbert, the Bishop of St Albans, John Gladwin, the Bishop of Guildford, James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool, and Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London.

Soon after any announcement by Dr Carey, the Crown Appointments Commission, the body which proposes new bishops, will meet to choose a successor. The commission will present two names to Tony Blair and the Prime Minister will nominate one of those for appointment by the Queen, the supreme governor of the Church.

Dr Nazir Ali is thought to be Dr Carey's choice of successor and has support from evangelical sections of the church.

However, he was recently criticised when he said that married couples who chose not to have children were "self-indulgent". Those who were childless for the sake of careers would not flourish, he added. But he has won respect with his comments after 11 September, using his Pakistani roots to speak with authority on Christian-Muslim relations.

Dr Williams, a former Lady Margaret professor of divinity at Oxford, is a widely respected theologian. However, his radical record does not endear him to some on the conservative wing of the Church.

Reverend Dr William Beaver, the chief Church of England spokesman, refused to comment on the speculation last night.

"The position remains that any retirement plans of the Archbishop of Canterbury are for him to decide and to announce in his own time," he said.