No 10 insists there is no health scare as Blair sees doctor

Published on Thursday 27 November 2003 00:00

TONY Blair was checked over by a doctor yesterday after suffering stomach ache, Downing Street said last night.

The Prime Minister was feeling unwell yesterday afternoon, after the Queen’s Speech, but was "feeling fine" by the evening, his spokesman said.

He added: "In response to newspaper speculation, a lot of it inaccurate, we can confirm that, late this afternoon, the Prime Minister saw a doctor because he was experiencing stomach ache.

"He was checked over, he is now fine.

"He is working in his flat and will be chairing Cabinet tomorrow as usual."

Mr Blair’s stomach complaint comes just weeks after he underwent treatment for a heart problem and Downing Street is desperate to avoid fresh speculation about his health.

Mr Blair, 50, needed hospital treatment last month when he was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, in which the heart beats much faster than usual.

During that scare, he spent five hours at London’s Hammersmith Hospital, which has a specialist coronary care unit. Doctors carried out a series of checks and the Prime Minister was given cardio-version - a treatment to regulate his heartbeat - before returning to Downing Street.

He will be determined that the latest incident will not provoke fresh questions about his political future and determination to serve a third term in the highly stressful job or prompt renewed calls for him to stand down in favour of the Chancellor, Gordon Brown.

Downing Street fielded calls all evening after rumours started circulating at Westminster about Mr Blair’s health.

But his spokesman maintained throughout that Mr Blair was "absolutely fine" and "not ill".