BRITAIN:The guessing game about the timing of Tony Blair's resignation continued yesterday with just a week left to local elections that could affect Labour's ability to win a fourth general election.
Chancellor Gordon Brown was again battling to protect Labour's Scottish power base from a historic defeat at the hands of the Scottish National Party, warning that independence would be "dangerous and disastrous" for Scotland.
As a new poll showed both Labour and the Conservatives under pressure from the Lib Dems and the smaller parties, the BBC's respected political editor Nick Robinson suggested that, while "unlikely", it was "just possible" Mr Blair could spring a surprise and announce his resignation ahead of the May 3rd contests.
But while prime minister's questions left many with the sense of "treading water" pending Mr Blair's long-awaited statement, the ongoing business of politics last night found him facing Conservative and Liberal Democrat demands for an independent inquiry into the alleged leaking of anti-terrorism intelligence used in police investigations.
The initial row between Mr Blair and Conservative leader David Cameron came after Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism chief spoke of the need to build public confidence in the integrity of police operations and condemned unauthorised leaks about counter-terrorism investigations.
While not accusing anyone in Whitehall, deputy assistant commissioner Peter Clarke cited the recent investigation in Birmingham - into an alleged plot to kidnap and behead a serving member of the British army - as an example of media leaks that could "put lives at risk".
Mr Blair condemned "any leaks of sensitive information from whatever quarter", while flatly rejecting Mr Cameron's call for an inquiry, saying there was no evidence that any minister, civil servant or special adviser had divulged such information. Mr Cameron countered: "If he hasn't had a leak inquiry, how on earth can he know?"
The Tories upped the pressure last night when shadow home secretary David Davis wrote to cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell calling for an independent investigation. At the same time Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell called for a police inquiry, saying: "It may be for all we know that there have been some breaches of the criminal law. There may even have been breaches of the Official Secrets Act. If that is so, then the proper investigating authority in the first instance would be the police themselves."
During his lecture to the Policy Exchange think-tank, Mr Clarke said: "I make no allegations about the source of leaks or about individual cases. What is clear is that there a number, a small number I am sure, of misguided individuals who betray confidences.
"Perhaps they look to curry favour with certain journalists, or to squeeze out some short-term presentational advantage . . . They reveal sources of life-saving intelligence. In the worst cases they put lives at risk. I wonder if they simply do not care."
Meanwhile, the home secretary - and possible Labour leadership contender - John Reid warned that terrorists could cause devastation through an electronic attack on UK infrastructure.