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Blair health scare follows tough year
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Tony Blair's heart scare comes at the end of the most stressful of his six-and-a-half years in Downing Street, the official residence of British prime ministers. Blair, 50, has been under enormous pressure for his decision to commit troops to military action in Iraq earlier this year and for his domestic policies on health and education. He has also come under fire over the government's role in the death of weapons expert David Kelly. Kelly committed suicide in July after being named as the source of a BBC report alleging that Downing Street had exaggerated a dossier on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction to justify its case for war. Blair ordered a judicial inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding Kelly's death and he, along with other senior government officials, has testified before the inquiry. The health scare has sent a feeling of "shock and nervousness" through Downing Street CNN's European Political Editor Robin Oakley said. Oakley said officials were keen though to scotch any talk of cutting back on Blair's heavy workload to avoid damaging his authority. "Inevitably, when any health ailment befalls a prime minister people start to ask questions. Newspapers will almost universally write pieces about how long he can go on and look at the stresses and strains of the job." "Inevitably, it damages any prime minister if there are question marks over his health ... a question mark on whether he can do the 24-hours-a-day job. "You know what it is like in politics. As soon as there are specks of blood in the water sharks start circling and there is speculation about who might his successor be. "But the message from Downing Street is that it is business as usual ... forget all about this comparatively minor thing." Throughout the year, Blair has often looked gaunt and tired, particularly during the Iraq war and its bloody aftermath. But the PM, who works out every day and still looks youthful, has tried to stay upbeat. "I don't regret it," Blair said of the war. "If the people disagree with me, they can put me out of office." Blair's support for U.S. President George W. Bush over Iraq split not only his ruling Labour Party and Britain but caused an earthquake in international relations. Two senior ministers, Robin Cook and Clare Short, also quit his Cabinet over his stand. The father-of-four told his family he might lose his job over his decision to support the war in Iraq. It is all a far cry from 2001 when he led his party to its second successive landslide election win.
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