Sedgefield's fond farewell to Blair

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The search will now begin to find his successor when Mr Blair tells local party activists of his future plans as a Middle East peace envoy.

Mr Blair, who will formally relinquish his role as Prime Minister when he meets the Queen, will then travel to his County Durham constituency to say his final goodbyes at a private meeting this evening.

A meeting of the Sedgefield Constituency Labour Party has been arranged and Blair's announcement will spark a by-election later this month.

Mr Blair has represented Sedgefield since 1983 and at the 2005 General Election increased his majority to 18,457.

At Trimdon Labour Club, in the early hours of May 2, 1997, Blair celebrated with Labour party members and voters as he became the country's youngest Prime Minister since 1812.

It was at the same village club last month that he announced his plans to stand down as Prime Minister and told supporters that it was "where it all started so only fitting it was where it should all end".

By the time he arrives in his constituency home, he will be a former Prime Minister and peace envoy in the making.

Mr Blair will represent the Quartet - United Nations, European Union, the United States and Russia - in the Middle East, and is expected to be working out of an office in the West Bank.

The developments have not been confirmed by Downing Street or Labour Party officials, but Mr Blair's constituency agent and long-time friend John Burton has always maintained that the only thing that would see the outgoing Prime Minister leave politics would be a high profile international role.