SEDGEFIELD was last night preparing for one last hurrah in the international media spotlight when Tony Blair flies into the constituency to announce his resignation as Labour leader this morning.

Mr Blair will first tell Cabinet colleagues of his intentions at their regular 9am Thursday meeting at No 10, then travel north to tell members of the Sedgefield Labour Party.

Last night, the television transmitter trucks descended on Trimdon Labour Club in expectation that the announcement would be made from there.

For the Sedgefield constituency, today marks the end of 14 years in the spotlight. Since Mr Blair became Labour leader, he has used the area to launch manifestos and election campaigns, and it was where his victory parties and 50th birthday celebrations were held.

He has brought the US President George Bush to visit, as well as French leaders Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin, and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern.

No modern British Prime Minister has been as closely connected in the public mind with their constituency as Mr Blair, although his job has meant he has only been able to visit about once every six weeks, leading to accusations that he has been an absentee landlord.

His official spokesman ended weeks of speculation last night by saying: "There will be a Cabinet tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock. I don't think that will be quite as long as usual.

"The Prime Minister will then go elsewhere to make an announcement and that will be all that happens. There will be nothing said in Downing Street."

Mr Blair remains as Labour leader until his successor is formally elected at a special party conference, and as Prime Minister until he hands in his seals of office to the Queen. Labour's National Executive Committee will meet within 72 hours of today's confirmation to draw up a timetable for an election to replace both Mr Blair and his deputy John Prescott.

Mr Prescott has already announced he will quit at the same time as the Prime Minister.

The election process will take about seven weeks, meaning the Chancellor - if he is elected - will take office some time in early July.

He is likely to face only a token left-wing challenge from either backbencher John McDonnell or former minister Michael Meacher. The two will announce tomorrow which of them will try to stand against Mr Brown.

Downing Street insisted yesterday the Prime Minister would not be a "lame duck" leader while his successor is being elected.

But Tory leader David Cameron mocked his administration as "a Government of the living dead" during a rowdy Prime Minister's Question Time in the Commons.

Mr Blair retorted that he would focus on domestic policy issues over the coming weeks, but he is also expected to embark on a round of whistlestop diplomacy ahead of next month's G8 and EU summits.

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