PM unveils his exit strategy (John Howard announces retirement plans)

The Australian ^ | 13th September 2007 | Matthew Franklin and Patricia Karvelas

[naturalman1975]

JOHN Howard will quit as Prime Minister and hand the party leadership to Peter Costello part way through his next term if he wins the looming federal election.

Mr Howard's admission that he will not serve a full term as leader will fuel Labor's campaign pitch that a vote for Mr Howard is a vote for the Treasurer.

But as part of yesterday's decision by the Prime Minister, the Treasurer will campaign by Mr Howard's side to a greater extent than in previous elections as part of a Coalition plan to dismantle Kevin Rudd's pitch to voters, with the duo emphasising the risk of electing an inexperienced Labor government.

Mr Costello fired the first salvo last night in an interview with The Australian, ridiculing the Opposition Leader as an economic illiterate backed by a "gaggle of trade union leaders".

"He is the most lightweight leader of a political party that I have seen," Mr Costello said. "Kevin Rudd is beatable because Kevin Rudd is a huge risk, he's a huge gamble."

The Liberal Party closed ranks behind Mr Howard yesterday, with backbench MPs supporting an earlier decision by the Prime Minister's cabinet colleagues to stand by him.

Yesterday's partyroom meeting of government MPs shrugged off doubts about Mr Howard's capacity to beat Mr Rudd after the Prime Minister made clear that if elected he would serve just long enough to deliver his campaign promises before a reluctant retirement.

Mr Howard said last night he still had plans for Australia and would find it difficult to retire.

"I won't find it easy, if I am re-elected, to retire," he said.

[Tully Pettigrew 1]

I will be very sorry to see him go. He is one of the very, very few politicians with courage and conviction. He is about the only politician that I have any respect for, including those on this side of the Pacific.