Tony Blair to stand down as Middle East Quartet Special Envoy

Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair will stand down as Special Envoy of the Middle East Quartet next month, he has confirmed. The Quartet is made up of Russia, the United States, the UN and the EU.

Blair announced that he was accepting the role on the day he left Downing St in 2007, and the office focuses largely on the problems arising from the Isreal/Palestine conflict, including tackling the lack of economic development in Palestinian areas.

Responding to the news, Shadow Foreign Secretary Hillary Benn said:

“Tony Blair took on this challenging role because of his commitment to help improve the lives of the Palestinian people through economic development and stronger institutions. He has worked tirelessly to that end, despite the lack of progress in the wider Middle East peace process, and our thanks go to him for everything he has done.”