NOW that the dust is beginning to settle on the General Election, it is not surprising that the main focus of attention is how long Tony Blair will hang on as Prime Minister.

Labour backbench MPs, sensing that Gordon Brown's day as party leader is just around the corner, are calling for Mr Blair to resign as a "liability".

In many ways, the Prime Minister whose record shows him to be the biggest winner in his party's history, cannot win.

If he stays, he risks being increasingly criticised as a lame duck premier.

But imagine the scenario if he heeds the call of some of his own MPs to walk away.

Having gone through an election campaign promising to serve a full third term, he would again be accused of deceit. It would inevitably be branded as "the final lie" by those who, rightly or wrongly, perceive him to be dishonest.

Those who want him to go early would not hesitate to turn on him for doing so.

In the cold light of the election result, and the slashing of Labour's majority, we said that we expected the transfer of power from Blair to Brown to be accelerated.

Having spoken to those closest to the Prime Minister, we believe it is his firm intention to be as good as his word and see out his third term.

The question is whether his own MPs now rally behind him or make his position impossible.