Blair says decade in power changed Britain for good

LONDON, Apr 27 (Reuters) Prime Minister Tony Blair, preparing to step down after a decade in power, says he has changed British politics for good and history will judge his decision to back the invasion of Iraq.

Blair set out his achievements in a memo to lawmakers of the ruling Labour Party, obtained by Reuters today, and described by the media as his ''last will and testament''.

Blair is expected to announce his resignation soon after he reaches the milestone of 10 years in office on May 1 and after local elections on May 3 in which the Labour Party is expected to take a mauling.

That will launch a seven- or eight-week Labour leadership contest that finance minister Gordon Brown seems certain to win.

Blair's memo showed his determination to secure his legacy and disprove critics who say he squandered the huge political capital he enjoyed when he came to power in 1997, ousting an unpopular Conservative government that had ruled for 18 years.

In a letter accompanying the memo, Blair said the main idea of his reformist ''New Labour'' government was that there was no need to choose between social justice and economic prosperity.

''Ten years on, this is the governing idea of British politics. Every contender for power has to profess to believe in it. This is why the achievements we have to our credit are durable, because the ground of politics has shifted,'' he said.

Blair made no apology for the decision that has dogged his later years in office and sapped his popularity -- his support for US President George W Bush's invasion of Iraq.

HISTORY WILL JUDGE ''History will make its own judgment on our policy but the priority for the moment has to be to support the long-term reconstruction of the country and improving security,'' he said.

Blair led Labour to an unprecedented three consecutive parliamentary election victories, but his image has been clouded by the Iraq war and a series of political scandals.

The opposition Conservatives, resurgent under David Cameron, are ahead of Labour in the polls, though they are still short of the support they would need for certain victory at the next national ballot, expected in 2009.

Nevertheless, Labour is expected to lose hundreds of seats in yesterday's local council elections, dealing a blow to Blair just after he celebrates his 10th anniversary.

Blair's memo clearly meant to show he believes the changes he has made to Britain are permanent and will not be rolled back by his successor -- or by the Conservatives.

Blair's spokesman denied a newspaper report that advisers had urged Blair to announce he was quitting before yesterday's poll to take away attention from the expected poor result.

While some reports say Blair may quit the day after the election, some Labour insiders believe he will wait until after Northern Ireland's Protestants and Catholics begin sharing power on May 8, a landmark in Blair's peacemaking efforts.

Reuters RJ GC2218