The Blair baby arrives

By Thomas Abraham

LONDON, MAY 20. The first baby to be born to a serving British Prime Minister in 150 years made his arrival at London's Chelsea and Westminister Hospital early on Saturday morning and in what may be a regular routine in his adult life, evaded aided, of course, by his proud parents the frenzied photographers and journalists outside the hospital.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair and his wife, Ms. Cherie Blair, returned to their No. 10 Downing Street residence with the newborn just hours after the birth, slipping unnoticed past a cordon of photographers and reporters who had been camping outside the hospital. The arrival of the Prime Minister's baby - his fourth - had become a huge media event but the Blairs skillfully managed to keep the birth a secret until they had returned home with their baby.

A Downing Street spokesman announced to the press that had been waiting up all night that ``Ms. Blair gave birth to a boy earlier this morning. The Prime Minister and Ms. Blair are delighted and all three have now returned to Downing Street.'' The Blairs have done their best to keep their three older children, Euan, 16, Nicky 14 and Kathryn, 12, out of the public eye and this baby too will be shielded from public gaze to the extent possible.

The months preceeding the birth had been accompanied by intense media speculation on everything from the baby's name, to whether Mr. Blair would take paternity leave. The parents have not yet revealed their son's name but bookers have made Leo, Mr. Blair's father's name a favourite. The most unlikely choice is believed to be Ken, the name of Mr. Blair's political bete noire, the rebel Labour M.P. and Mayor of London, Mr. Ken Livingstone.

There had also been speculation over whether Mr. Blair would take paternity leave - something his wife, a successful barrister had hoped he would. Ms. Blair's had, in fact, argued only earlier this week for more generous paternity leave regulations in the U.K. The Prime Minister has said that while he would try and spend as much time as possible helping to look after the new baby, he was not going to take time off from his job.

One of the first people to have felt the impact of the new addition to the Blair family has been their next door neighbour at Downing Street, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Gordon Brown. Mr. Brown, a bachelor, has been persuaded to give up his flat in order to make extra room for the Blair family. The other politician who is likely to feel the pressure of the Blair baby is the leader of the Conservative party, Mr. William Hague. Mr. Hague, 36, has been under increasing pressure to start a family.

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