New Blair health scare

Stress: the strain on Blair has been immense over the last year

New concern was growing over Tony Blair's health today after he was suddenly taken ill with agonising stomach pains. Two doctors are now heading to Downing Street to check on the Prime Minister.

Details were emerging of a full-scale alert at Downing Street last night in which a hospital was put on standby to carry out an emergency operation and a senior consultant was rushed to the Prime Minister's side.

A No 10 spokesman played down the incident today, insisting Mr Blair was "fine" and would be conducting business as usual, including chairing Cabinet today.

However, the two doctors who saw Mr Blair there last night would "pop back" some time today to check on him, No 10 said.

Coming only weeks after Mr Blair was taken for hospital treatment for an irregular heartbeat, the latest alert will fuel worries that the Prime Minister is under the weather after a tumultuous year of unprecedented stress and strain.

No10 insiders today disclosed that Mr Blair was in his family flat above No 11 Downing Street when taken ill in the early evening, complaining of severe pain in his abdomen.

A doctor was called immediately and decided that appendicitis could not be ruled out.

On the doctor's advice, consultant surgeon David Nott was brought to Downing Street, using a BMW motorcycle to cut through the traffic.

Meanwhile, staff at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital were put on alert to admit the Prime Minister as an emergency patient if the diagnosis of appendicitis was confirmed.

However, after thoroughly examining Mr Blair, Dr Nott decided he was not suffering from a serious condition and Mr Blair was allowed to eat supper in his flat.

The Prime Minister's office made light of the incident. When rumours first circulated last night, callers were told that Mr Blair was eating while working on a speech.

Late last night, however, a spokesman confirmed that he had been seen by a doctor.

In a statement, the spokesman said: "In response to newspaper speculation, a lot of it inaccurate, we can confirm that 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."

But suspicions that Downing Street have made light of serious worries about the Prime Minister's health have been in circulation since former US President Bill Clinton said Mr Blair's heart trouble was a long-standing condition, contradicting the official line.

Last week it was claimed that Mr Blair had told the Queen he had had previous trouble with an irregular heartbeat.

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