British Prime Minister Tony Blair will stay in office until at least 2008, the tabloid Daily Mirror reported Wednesday, quoting unnamed senior allies.
Blair's future has been the source of much speculation in Britain after he announced some months ahead of the last general election in May that he would not be seeking a fourth term of office.
Although finance minister Gordon Brown is widely tipped to take over, Blair, who has been in power since 1997, has not said when he will step down. The next election is due before mid 2010 at the latest.
Some Brown allies have called on the prime minister to depart sooner rather than later to prevent himself becoming a "lame duck" leader.
However, an unnamed source was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying: "Opinion has coalesced around spring 2008 as the time to go."
The newspaper - a traditional supporter of Blair's ruling Labour Party - said David Cameron's recent accession as leader of the main opposition Conservative Party has fuelled Blair's desire to stay.
Cameron, 39, has been hailed as a youthful moderniser similar to Blair when he took over the then-ailing Labour party in 1994.
The wind is currently in Cameron's sails, with a poll published Tuesday showing the Conservatives ahead of Labour by one percentage point, having trailed them virtually without exception for years.
The newspaper quoted a source as saying Blair would not step down despite coming under fire on a range of issues, from the EU budget deal to domestic reforms.
"People underestimate the PM (prime minister). He will not quit when things get difficult," one senior ally said.
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