TONY Blair needs to "get a grip" to avoid civil war breaking out in his party, according to one of his backbenchers.

The Labour MP for Selby, John Grogan, said the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, needed to set a date for an "orderly transition of power".

His comments came after national newspapers published a letter signed by at least 50 backbenchers asking Mr Blair to set a "clear timetable and procedure for the election of a new Labour Party Leader".

They urged Labour's ruling body to step in if the Prime Minister refused to reveal a timetable by the end of July for when he will leave No10.

The demands come hot on the heels of Labour's poor performance in last Thursday's local elections, and Mr Blair's Cabinet reshuffle.

Mr Grogan said he was not one of the backbench rebels who had issued the Prime Minister with a deadline to depart from Downing Street - but action had to be taken.

He said: "My message to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and possibly John Prescott is that they need to resume the discussions they were having on an orderly transition earlier in the year, because we can't afford the prospect of civil war breaking out in the party between supporters of Brown and Blair."

Mr Grogan said there needed to be an end to the current climate of uncertainty.

"The Prime Minister promised two things, a smooth transition and to serve a full term in office," said Mr Grogan,

"I don't think on reflection that the two things are now compatible, but I do think he (Mr Blair) and his new team have an immediate job to do to restore public faith in the health service and law and order.

"I think they need to reflect on that and get a grip on the situation."

But yesterday Mr Blair refused to give a timetable for his departure as Prime Minister, saying it would "paralyse the proper working of Government".

He insisted he would give "the time properly needed for my successor to establish himself".

He said some of those calling for him to go wanted to "radically change the direction of policy and not to renew Labour but to reverse it".

He refused to say if he had discussed the succession with Mr Brown.

Coun Dave Merrett, the leader of the Labour group on City of York Council, said he did not want to comment because he thought it was a matter for individual MPs. York Labour MP Hugh Bayley was out of the country and unavailable to comment.

Updated: 09:09 Tuesday, May 09, 2006