Tony Blair faces rebellion as MPs demand resignation date

British Prime Minister Tony Blair faced new pressure on Wednesday to announce a resignation date after seven MPs, all junior members of his government, quit theirposts in a growing Labour party rebellion.

The news came amid indications by senior ministers on Tuesday that Blair will likely resign next year and the same day that the Sun, a British tabloid, reported thatBlair intends tostep downin 2007 after 10 years in office.

Tom Watson, junior defence minister, wrote a letter to Blair on Wednesday saying the party needs a new leader in order to have a chance at winning a fourth term in office.

"I share the view of the overwhelming majority of the party and the country that the only way the party and the government can renew itself in office is urgently to renew its leadership," Watson wrote.

Sixother MPs,who serve as unpaid aides to government ministers, quit their junior posts as well, saying it was no longer in the best interests of Britain for Blair to stay in office.

Meanwhile, in a story labelled "exclusive," the Sun predicted when Blair would resign. Two British cabinet ministers said Tuesday that Blair was likely to resign next year.

Blair's office declined to comment on the story.

According to the Sun, Blair will resign as leader of the Labour party on May 31, 2007, 10 years and 30 days after he was elected prime minister.

The newspaper said the resignation would spark a leadership race that would last eight weeks, witha new leader succeedingBlair on July 26.

The Sun, whichis owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. andhas supported Blair and his policies since he became prime minister, quoted no sources in itsstory.

Sun political editor George Pascoe Watson told Sky News in London that he thinks the story could prompt Blair to make an official announcement about his plans to leave office.

"I don't think the prime minister wanted yet for this information to come out, but it has come out and I think there will be growing pressure on him over the next few days to say it himself, as it were," he said.

BBC News reported Wednesday that 17 Labour MPs have signed a letter urging Blair to step down in order to end uncertainty about the party's future.All of theMPs who reportedly signed the letter were elected in 2001. The six who resigned Wednesday are among the 17 who signed the letter.

The six are Khalid Mahmood, Wayne David, Ian Lucas, Mark Tami, David Wright and Chris Mole, all of whom hadbeen parliamentary private secretaries.

Blair, 53, has won three consecutive elections for the Labour party, but his popularity is dropping as controversy grows overthe war in Iraq, the recent conflict in Lebanon and a number of government scandals.