War critics dismissed as 'urban intellectuals'. Most Britons want troops out, poll shows Tony Blair will signal this week that Labour should abandon "urban intellectuals" who deserted it over the Iraq war. As the party's conference begins in Brighton today he is determined to face down growing pressure for a withdrawal of British troops. He believes Labour will lose if it seeks to win back middle-class voters who protested against the war at the last election and can rely instead on its heartland to remain in power. Mr Blair's hardline stance comes as a poll released last night showed that a majority of Britons wanted UK troops to pull out. Senior military, diplomatic and intelligence figures added their voices to the protest last night. The Prime Minister's determination to ignore the issue was made clear yesterday when party managers stifled a proposed debate on Iraq.
Tony Blair will signal this week that Labour should abandon "urban intellectuals" who deserted it over the Iraq war. As the party's conference begins in Brighton today he is determined to face down growing pressure for a withdrawal of British troops.
He believes Labour will lose if it seeks to win back middle-class voters who protested against the war at the last election and can rely instead on its heartland to remain in power.
Mr Blair's hardline stance comes as a poll released last night showed that a majority of Britons wanted UK troops to pull out. Senior military, diplomatic and intelligence figures added their voices to the protest last night.
The Prime Minister's determination to ignore the issue was made clear yesterday when party managers stifled a proposed debate on Iraq.
Gordon Brown has vowed to continue Tony Blair's programme of reform if he becomes the next Labour leader. The chancellor said there was "no going back" as change was needed to ensure Britain could compete internationally. And writing in the Sunday Times on the day the Labour Party conference starts in Brighton, he said he was planning a "home-owning, share-owning democracy". The BBC's Norman Smith said his words would disappoint those who had hoped he would reverse Mr Blair's reform agenda. Some would also see echoes of the ethos of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the BBC political correspondent added.
The chancellor said there was "no going back" as change was needed to ensure Britain could compete internationally.
And writing in the Sunday Times on the day the Labour Party conference starts in Brighton, he said he was planning a "home-owning, share-owning democracy".
The BBC's Norman Smith said his words would disappoint those who had hoped he would reverse Mr Blair's reform agenda.
Some would also see echoes of the ethos of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the BBC political correspondent added.
British troops will start a major withdrawal from Iraq next May under detailed plans on military disengagement to be published next month, The Observer can reveal. Britain has already privately informed Japan - which also has troops in Iraq - of its plans to begin withdrawing from southern Iraq in May, a move that officials in Tokyo say would make it impossible for their own 550 soldiers to remain. The increasingly rapid pace of planning for British military disengagement has been revealed on the eve of the Labour Party conference, which will see renewed demands for a deadline for withdrawal. It is hoped that a clearer strategy on Iraq will quieten critics who say that the government will not be able to 'move on' until Blair quits. Yesterday, about 10,000 people demonstrated against the army's continued presence in the country. The document being drawn up by the British government and the US will be presented to the Iraqi parliament in October and will spark fresh controversy over how long British troops will stay in the country. Tony Blair hopes that, despite continuing and widespread violence in Iraq, the move will show that there is progress following the conflict of 2003.
Britain has already privately informed Japan - which also has troops in Iraq - of its plans to begin withdrawing from southern Iraq in May, a move that officials in Tokyo say would make it impossible for their own 550 soldiers to remain.
The increasingly rapid pace of planning for British military disengagement has been revealed on the eve of the Labour Party conference, which will see renewed demands for a deadline for withdrawal. It is hoped that a clearer strategy on Iraq will quieten critics who say that the government will not be able to 'move on' until Blair quits. Yesterday, about 10,000 people demonstrated against the army's continued presence in the country.
The document being drawn up by the British government and the US will be presented to the Iraqi parliament in October and will spark fresh controversy over how long British troops will stay in the country. Tony Blair hopes that, despite continuing and widespread violence in Iraq, the move will show that there is progress following the conflict of 2003.
