Blair will step down “within the next 12 months”? Better than nothing, admittedly, but now he’s got precisely the problem that he always said he’d have if he announced a date – no policy initiatives seen to be coming from him in the next 12 months will be deemed to have any authority whatsoever unless Brown (presumably, as heir apparent) seems to give his assent. Interesting… Has the PM just undermined his position even further?