The prime minister was admitted to hospital at lunchtime on Sunday suffering from an irregular heart beat.

Downing Street has confirmed that Tony Blair went to Hammersmith Hospital's coronary care unit after he felt unwell.

BBC correspondent Clarence Mitchell said Mr Blair was kept in for five to six hours but has since left the hospital.

He said doctors established that he had an irregular heart beat which causes fluctuations and palpitations.

(BBC)

Perhaps he will now be forced to resign due to ill health? Could someone remind me what would then happen - does it lead to a general election within a year? I'm not trying to be uncaring here (I hope he recovers fully) I just wanted a reminder on how these things work.

(edited)

Let's hope nothing too serious happens to him - remember who's our deputy PM!

No, look at what happened after Thatch resigned, god bless the day. John Major stepped in.

The deputy would step in until the next election, I think thats what would happen.
God help us we all know who the deputy is!!

He will be back, he may take a few days off, but he'll be back.

Originally posted by Andy
Let's hope nothing too serious happens to him - remember who's our deputy PM!

Yes, The Fat Controller. A toy railway is all he is capable of running, he did a fine job of cocking up the real one!

As much as i hate Mr Blair,the thought of 2 jags in control really does make me want to get the next flight out of here.

I hope he doesn't push in the queue for the waiting list.

He was kept in for 5-6 hours and went home so he must have pushed in somewhere unless he went home without being checked out at all.

Now was that a National Health hospital or private?

Originally posted by mr craig
As much as i hate Mr Blair,the thought of 2 jags in control really does make me want to get the next flight out of here.
You never know, it'd be good for a laugh!

He realises that the knives are out within the Labour Party and that the general mood of the British people is not favourable to him so therefore he will make use of this event and be preparing the way for a stand-down 'due to ill health'.

Our civic knowledge is pretty poor isnt it?

If the Prime Minister dies or is forced to resign etc, then the Deputy Leader of his or her Party takes over for a limited period, pending that Party appointing a new leader.

The British public just have to wait and see who they get

After all the public didnt ever vote for Mr Blair (unless they live in Sedgefield) they voted for their own MP and the party with the most MPs gave the top job to their Leader.

Since 1997 the Government invented the post of Deputy Prime Minister (I think I am right in saying that, I am nearly sure there was never one before) and that is John Prescott.

He would be the Prime Minister (Acting-Up) (winks at Dadda) as he is occasionally in the summer holidays etc, until the Labour Party chose itself a new Leader.

HTH

Originally posted by Belle

Since 1997 the Government invented the post of Deputy Prime Minister (I think I am right in saying that, I am nearly sure there was never one before) and that is John Prescott
HTH

Nah, Thatch invented it as a sop to Willie Whitelaw after the 1979 election.

Encyclopedia: Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The office of Deputy Prime Minister is one that has only existed occasionally in the history of the United Kingdom. Unlike analogous offices in other nations, the Deputy Prime Minister does not have any of the powers of the Prime Minister in the latter's absence and there is no presumption that the Deputy Prime Minister will succeed the Prime Minister.
Labour Party leader Clement Attlee held the post in the wartime coalition government led by Winston Churchill, and had general responsibility for domestic affairs, allowing Churchill to concentrate on the war. Richard Austen Butler held the post in 1962-3 under Harold Macmillan, but was passed over for the premiership in favour of Alec Douglas-Home.

William Whitelaw was Margaret Thatcher's deputy from 1979-1988, a post he combined with that of Home Secretary in 1979-83 and Leader of the House of Lords after 1983. Sir Geoffrey Howe was given the title in 1989, on being removed from the post of Foreign Secretary. He resigned as Deputy Prime Minister in 1990, making a resignation speech that is widely thought to have hastened Thatcher's downfall. Thatcher's successor John Major did not appoint a Deputy Prime Minister until 1995, when Michael Heseltine was given the post.

John Prescott was made Deputy Prime Minister in 1997, in addition to being Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions. In 2001 this "superdepartment" was split up, with Prescott being given his own "Office of the Deputy Prime Minister" with fewer specific responsibilities.

List of Deputy Prime Ministers

Clement Attlee (19 February 1942 - 26 July 1945)
Herbert Morrison (27 July 1945 - 26 October 1951)
Anthony Eden 27 October 1951 - 6 April 1955)
Richard Austen Butler (13 July 1962 - 20 October 1963)
William Whitelaw (5 May 1979 - 10 January 1988)
Sir Geoffrey Howe (24 July 1989 - 1 November 1990)
Michael Heseltine (5 July 1995 - 2 May 1997
John Prescott (2 May 1997 - )

You take pedantry to new heights. I am humbled in your presence.

Does that make you more wronger than me or less wronger?

I think it makes me very wrong and you only quite wrong

I cant see what is pedantic about finding out the facts and correcting myself

and I think that post was rude

:nono:

Originally posted by John
I hope he doesn't push in the queue for the waiting list. I wonder if he got left on a trolley for 18 hours, wet with his own urine like Mrs Mawson at Northern General last week, not even looked at by a Doctor for 7 hours.
http://www.sheffieldtoday.net/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=58&ArticleID=676351
I hope with his and Cherie's income they didn't add to the NHS's workload but if he did then I hope he didn't get preferential treatment. However since he was only there for 5 hours I expect priorities must have been adjusted.

I see David Blaine got an NHS ambulance to hospital, surrounded by motorcycle outriders.

Then again, perhaps he rang for it 44 days ago..........

Didn't know he had a heart. Seems like an oxymoron.