Tony Blair said in 2004 he would leave office in the next Parliament in "a stable and orderly transition". In September 2006, allies of Gordon Brown, worried about delay, decided to force the issue. Here is some news coverage from 6-7 September showing what happened.
This video may explain why Corbynite jibes against "Blairite Tom Watson" were met with laughter by older Labour Party members.
The VT glitches from 18:35 are original - the statement had been recorded inside the school out of range of the live link and was being played down the line but seems to have been delayed to coincide with 3 PM (without realising it was going out live).
