THE announcement from Downing Street last night that Tony Blair has been treated in hospital for a heart condition has sent shockwaves around the country.

The Prime Minister has, of course, been under intense pressure over the past year, notably from the fall-out from the war against Iraq, and the Hutton Inquiry which followed the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly.

We know Mr Blair as a man who cares a great deal about the consequences of the momentous decisions he has to take.

He has agonised long and hard about the justification for removing Saddam Hussein's regime and the death and destruction which ensued has clearly weighed heavily on his shoulders.

He has looked a tired man in recent months, and that is hardly surprising given the leading role he plays in the affairs of the world as well as Britain.

Yet he has recently emerged from the potential minefield of the Labour Party conference in a politically healthier state than might have been expected, and the continuining weakness of the Opposition must have helped to lift some of the strain.

At 50, he is a relatively young man, and friends and colleagues have talked of his renewed sense of purpose on the domestic scene after the distractions of Iraq.

According to them, he is determined to press on for a historic third term and has no thoughts of leaving Number Ten.

But it must not be forgotten that the Prime Minister has another extremely tough job - that of being a father.

Anyone who has raised children knows how hard it is to find a balance between work and home.

Indeed, it is a challenge Health Secretary Alan Milburn succumbed to recently.

As a father of four children, including a three-year-old he dotes on, Mr Blair must find it particularly tough.

Nothing is more important than good health and we join the rest of the country in wishing Tony Blair a speedy recovery.