I have a feeling that when Gordon Brown succeeds Blair, that he will not last long. Smart man, popular in his own party, but lacks the "public" poltical skills necessary to survive a national election.
Actually, if Blair had stepped aside for Brown before this election then Labour would probably maintain their current huge parliamentary majority and they would be guaranteed to win the election. Brown is currently far more popular with the British electorate than Blair. However, Brown lacks Blair's "killer instinct" and is an old fashioned Labourite which explains why Blair beat him to become Labour leader after John Smith died, (even though Brown was widely regarded as the leader in waiting).