The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has confirmed that he will leave office within twelve months but he has again refused to name a departure date.
Mr Blair's statement followed two days of internal party wrangling over the timing of his departure which has seen the resignation of a string of junior government figures.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, said it was right for Mr Blair to decide when he would leave Downing Street and that he would support him in the decision he makes in the best interests of the country.
Mr Brown, who is visiting Scotland today, is seen as Mr Blair's most likely successor. His supporters had wanted Mr Blair to name a specific date.
However, Mr Blair said simply that he would not be leader by the time of the autumn party conference next year and that he would set a precise date for his departure at a future date and in the best interests of the country.
Both men recognise the damage done to the party by the bickering between their two camps which has taken place this week.
Blair may still have to resign sooner
In his statement during a scheduled visit to a school in London this afternoon, Mr Blair even apologised to voters, saying it had not been the party's finest hour.
The two men's statements had all the signs of a carefully engineered truce between Britain's two most powerful politicians.
The form of words used by the two men is probably enough to quell the immediate crisis but the warfare between the two groups of supporters looks set to continue and could come to a head at the party conference at the end of the month.
Mr Blair may still have to relinquish office far sooner than he would wish.
Meanwhile, the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has said he hoped Mr Blair remained in office for the important talks on Northern Ireland next month.
Speaking at a function in Dublin, Mr Ahern described Mr Blair as a great colleague and a great leader to work with.
