Blair may announce his departure plans today

Blair is widely expected to announce his timetable for departure today, paving the way to hand power to his ally-turned-bitter-foe, finance minister, Gordon Brown by the start of July, according to reports.

Some sources say he could inform Queen Elizabeth II of his plans as early as Wednesday, before revealing them publicly after a regular cabinet meeting this morning.

A Downing Street spokeswoman told AFP she could not comment on reports that Blair was to meet the queen Wednesday and referred questions about the prime minister's itinerary for Thursday to the Labour Party.

A Labour Party spokesman told AFP that it was "business as usual" Wednesday and nothing had been finalised for Thursday, despite media claims Blair could make an announcement in his Sedgfield constituency in northeast England.

While the exact timetable is being kept strictly under wraps, lawmakers were expected to try to tease out some details at the weekly Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons at midday (1100 GMT).

According to the mass-market Sun, known to have good sources in Downing Street, Blair will make "an emotional resignation speech," firing the starting gun on a seven-week contest for the Labour party leadership.

He is also expected to publicly endorse Brown for the first time as his successor, although insiders say he could delay this move until Friday, the newspaper said.

The widely-expected announcement will come two days after Blair oversaw the restoration of power-sharing in Northern Ireland -- a key achievement -- but also following a poll drubbing last week when his party lost power in Scotland.

The 54-year-old, who led his Labour party to a third straight election victory in 2005, had originally intended to stay in office until the next election, which has to be held by 2010.

But he was forced to agree to retire mid-term after a political coup last year widely blamed on Brown, who was said to be angry that Blair had not handed him the keys to 10 Downing Street earlier.

The at-times poisonous relationship between the two was underlined on Wednesday by a report that, shortly after the 2005 election, Blair planned to split up Brown's Treasury fiefdom.

Blair only decided against the move -- which could have seen Brown switched from the chancellorship to become foreign secretary -- because polling showed voters turned off by splits in the Labour party, said the Guardian daily.

Brown, who lacks Blair's media-savvy charisma, is almost certain to be elected as his successor as Labour party leader, after senior level ministers said they would not stand in recent weeks.

Under the British political system, the leader of the biggest party in the lower chamber House of Commons is automatically prime minister.