Blair to also quit as MP on Wednesday

Tony Blair will not only resign as prime minister on Wednesday but also quit as a member of parliament from his Sedgefield constituency to take up an international role as an envoy to the Middle East.

After driving to the Buckingham Palace to hand over his resignation to the Queen, Blair will fly to his constituency where the local party has been asked to gather to hear his plan to quit.

Blair's resignation will lead to a by-election. He has been elected MP from the constituency since 1983.

For the last time, Blair will appear in the House of Commons during the Prime Minister's Question Time and will then proceed to the Buckingham Palace.

After he resigns, the Queen is expected to invite Chancellor Gordon Brown to take over as the 52nd prime minister of Britain and form the next government. Brown is scheduled to enter 10, Downing Street just after lunchtime on Wednesday.

Reports say that representatives of the US, Russia, UN and the European Union met in Jerusalem on Tuesday and are expected to announce Blair as the Middle East envoy, a role he is keen to take over.

Meanwhile, a day before taking over as the prime minister, Brown has got a boost by the defection of the pro-European Conservative MP, Quentin Davis, to the Labour party. In his resignation letter, Davis accused Conservative leaders of "superficiality, unreality, and an apparent lack of convictions".