Blair well after back treatment

Tony Blair

LONDON - Prime Minister Tony Blair returned to work on Friday after treatment in hospital for a slipped disc and no further medication is expected, his spokeswoman said.

The 52-year-old Blair was given an anti-inflammatory injection on Thursday.

"The Prime Minister is fine. He is working as usual. I don't think more treatment is expected," the spokeswoman told reporters.

His work schedule is unaffected, she added, and he held a breakfast meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, who is visiting London, early on Friday.

Blair is generally regarded as being in good health but in October 2004 he was forced to go into hospital to correct recurrent heart palpitations, triggering speculation at the time over his long-term future as prime minister.

His office issued a statement on Thursday, giving background to the slipped disc.

"The prime minister has been experiencing some back pain over the last couple of months," it said. "It has given him discomfort from time to time, but obviously hasn't stopped him doing his job."

One thing it is expected to stop for a while, however, is Blair's habit of playing tennis at weekends.

Blair was referred by his family doctor to the Royal Free Hospital in central London for the injection.

He later went to his country residence Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, northwest of London.

"For the majority of people, this treatment is sufficient," his consultant Dr Andrew Platts said in the statement.

Blair has said he plans to stand down at the end of his third term, which he secured with a reduced parliamentary majority.

- REUTERS