How will history judge Blair?

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair has become synonymous with one word. Legacy. We hear it in relation to the prime minister on a regular basis, almost to the point of saturation. Now that he knows he is definitely going, Blair only has the small matter of sorting out how he will be portrayed in years to come before heading on to whatever lucrative career awaits him in the future.

But does he have the time and support to achieve the legacy he so desires before departing Downing Street for the final time? It would appear not.

Perhaps the current incumbent of Number 10 should take a deep breath, sit down and realise that his efforts as leader of the country are already etched into the history books.

It is certainly not the legacy he would have wanted but Blair is unable to accept the fact he will be remembered for leading the UK into war in Iraq, and not for his many political achievements on home soil and in Northern Ireland.

He retains a steely determination to push through reforms in education, law and order, and the National Health Service, while presiding over a complete overhaul of the House of Lords.

But the inescapable reality is that Blair's legacy was confirmed on March 20, 2003. On that date he led the nation into a third conflict in the Gulf on the premise Saddam Hussain had weapons of mass destruction that could be deployed in 45 minutes.

That claim has subsequently proved to be false and criticism of the US-led invasion has increased with the death of every British soldier and act of violence in war-ravaged Iraq. His legacy will be determined on this issue and this issue alone.

Relentless pursuit

Blair's relentless pursuit of destiny is also having an adverse effect on the Labour Party itself. The longer he hangs on to power, the longer both he and Labour remain on a pedestal to take knocks both personally and collectively.

The recent criminal investigation into the cash-for-peerages scandal still hangs ominously. The Tories became resonant with sleaze and corruption in the early 1990s but Labour currently finds itself on a very slippery slope.

Public trust is proving to be their ultimate downfall after years of spin, but if the prime minister were to be found guilty of any misdemeanour or wrongdoing, his legacy would no longer be priority number one.

Yet it was all so different. But if the saying "a week is a long time in politics" holds any resonance, then the last 10 years must have seemed like an eternity to an increasingly dishevelled looking prime minister.

Blair swept into office on a wave of euphoria in 1997 as the youngest person to ever hold governance in the UK; the country was whipped into fervour over a promised social revolution under New Labour and its Third Way ideology.

This government would be "whiter than white" but democracy has a tendency to burn and almost exactly a decade later, the majority of voters feel Blair has hung on for too long. As his tenure draws to a close it is clear there is nothing white about this government. He wants to feel as though he has indelibly left his mark.

And Blair has had successes, most noticeably in delivering reforms to the beleaguered public sector left crumbling after 18 years of Tory rule. But Blair will also leave behind an increasingly frustrated and fractious party for Gordon Brown to inherit, particularly if he scraps plans to hold a referendum on a new EU treaty.

The time has come for Blair to honour his part of the bargain and hand the reins to Brown, as stipulated in the Granita pact, an infamous agreement made between the pair in 1984.

Blair is expected to announce his resignation on May 3. He is widely expected to attend the G8 summit in Germany but the UK could have a new prime minister on June 22, just under two months away.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ebrahim Al Jaafari claimed several months ago that Blair would be remembered in the same vain as Winston Churchill. This may seem a preposterous suggestion in the current climate but Blair is adamant his government's programme will indeed stand the test of time.

He also stands by his convictions with regard to his administration's controversial foreign policy. He genuinely believes going to war in Iraq was "the right thing to do".

Only time will determine whether his decisions were correct and ultimately define his legacy. Blair can do no more in his remaining months at the helm. It is his time to go, his legacy no longer in his own hands.