I – and many of my colleagues – are getting increasingly fed up with the antics of some in the Westminster village about the date of Tony Blair’s departure.

Come the 2009/2010 General Election, who will be fussed about whether Tony handed over power in 2007 or 2008? The focus will be entirely on the new leader and the election.

Those who are convinced that an early handover date is better than a later one, should realise that the damage caused by the arguments about it far outweigh any possible gain from an early departure.

But I am anyway not convinced that an early handover would do us any good. The relentless media onslaught on Tony Blair would simply switch to his successor who, in a few months, would be in the same position.

Tony Blair promised the electorate to serve a full third term. He should keep his promise and hand over a few months before the next election so that his successor goes to the country during his honeymoon period.