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LONDON, Oct 1: British Prime Minister Tony Blair underwent successful heart surgery on Friday and returned home following a surprise vow to serve a record third term and deny rivals power for five more years.
Mr Blair's announcement - twinning his health woes with a drawn-out exit strategy - sparked frenzied talk of how long he can go on and whether the premier was blocking his de facto No. 2, finance minister Gordon Brown.
The news was intended to quell talk of a hand over to Gordon Brown after next year's expected election win, but in fact revealed his ambition to become the only Labour leader to win three straight terms and the one who out serves "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher.
A spokesman for the London hospital where the operation was carried out said it had been a success and the heart problem was unlikely to bother the prime minister again.
"The procedure was successful in eliminating the atrial flutter," the spokesman said. "We consider the risk of recurrence of the problem to be very low." "Mr Blair will return home shortly and we expect him to continue his rapid and complete recovery."
Blair left hospital earlier than expected on Friday, as he swept out of London's Hammersmith hospital in his official car, his wife Cherie waving as they left. The premier's cardiologist said on Thursday that he would stay one night in the hospital before convalescing at home over the weekend.
Shortly afterwards, Blair returned to his Downing Street home. He smiled at a pack of journalists camped outside and strode unaided inside. He first had heart palpitations late last year and suffered a "mild recurrence" in August, his office said.
Earlier this year, rumours swirled that the 51-year-old father of four planned to step aside for Brown due to family pressures. Now that moment has passed, leaving Brown - architect of Labour's unprecedented economic success - stuck on the sidelines again.
IRAQ TOLL SHOWS: The need for another operation has shocked Britons, many of whom blame Blair's health problems on the gruelling routine of the job and the criticism he has taken over the Iraq invasion.
But it was the accompanying announcement - that he would go after a third term - that kindled talk of an ugly succession war. Blair is expected to call, and win, an election in May 2005.
With a full third term possibly taking Blair to 2009, many wondered if that were too long for Brown, 53, to wait. Some Brown supporters say Blair has reneged on a supposed deal made back in 1994 for a hand over of power to him in a second term.
Analysts now expect Blair to lose authority in a third term, even if it lets him surpass Thatcher's 12-year rule. "I think he would become a progressively lamer duck," said analyst Peter Kellner.
Foreign exchange dealers said the heart operation added to negative sentiment towards the pound on Friday, while opposition politicians derided what they called Blair's power playing.
"Until now we've had a two-horse race with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown debilitating and paralysing this term of Labour office," said opposition Conservatives' chairman Liam Fox.
"Now we are going to have the entire cabinet under starter's orders in the next parliament. That is going to be very destabilising - a perpetual war of succession." Blair at least has little to fear from Conservatives for now.
Their fourth place in Thursday's parliamentary election in the northern seat of Hartlepool was the first time since World War Two that a main opposition party in Britain has finished outside the top three.
The result will overshadow the Conservative annual conference starting on Monday and underlines how far they are from mounting a real challenge in the next national election.
Despite his youthful air, Blair has looked haggard at times in the past 18 months, easily the toughest of his career as Britain divided over Iraq and his trust ratings plunged on disputed pre-war British intelligence. His "no fourth term" announcement was the first time in British history that a prime minister has set the timetable for his own departure. -Reuters
