Back bench gives Blair one-year deadline

Pressure on Tony Blair to end the uncertainty over the future of the Labour leadership has intensified with the release of a survey showing that a majority of Labour backbenchers want to him to quit within a year.

Some MPs were yesterday pressing for Mr Blair to make a clear statement that this month's Labour Party conference would be his last or face an organised attempt to push him from office as a survey by BBC Radio Four found 40 of the 68 backbench Labour MPs who commented wanted Mr Blair to go either now or within 12 months. Thirty-nine said it would be helpful if the Prime Minister revealed his plans at the party conference.

Normally loyal backbenchers demanded that Mr Blair make clear his intentions ahead of local authority elections. Party activists have circulated a draft conference resolution attacking Mr Blair over the conflict in the Lebanon and calling for the party to trigger the mechanism to elect a successor.