Ex-minister Smith wants Blair to go next year

LONDON, June 9 (Reuters) Former Labour cabinet minister Chris Smith said today Tony Blair should quit as prime minister next year to give his successor time to fight the ''very real threat'' of David Cameron's resurgent Conservative party.

''For the first time in 15 years, the Tories have an attractive face to the broad mass of the electorate,'' Smith told the ePolitix Web site.

''What is undoubtedly needed is an orderly transition in the course of the next year.'' Smith, who now sits in the Lords, said he supported Blair's backing of Chancellor Gordon Brown as his successor.

But he said Brown must have time to establish his position before fighting an election.

''What I don't want to see happen is the handover occurring at the very last possible moment.'' The Conservatives have a mountain to climb to oust Labour from power but recent opinion polls show them out in front.

Blair said in 2004 he would not stand in the next election expected in 2009 but vowed to serve a full fourth term.

Since then, his sliding popularity -- partly due to anger over the Iraq war and its aftermath -- and damaging headlines over government sleaze and incompetence have sparked growing calls from some in his Labour Party for him to go sooner.

Yesterday, former foreign secretary Jack Straw said he expected the prime minister to go ''well before the next election'', fuelling speculation about the timing of Blair's departure.

REUTERS CH SSC1336