Downing Street has denied reports that Tony Blair will announce next week he is to stand down as an MP.

The prime minister's official spokesman immediately moved to play down the claims, made by the Press Association news agency on Thursday.

"The announcement next week will be solely about the prime minister as leader of the Labour Party," said the spokesman.

"He has made no decision whatsoever to stand down as an MP and very firmly remains MP for Sedgefield, and proud of it."

Blair has indicated he will stand down next week as Labour leader, triggering an internal party election that will also appoint the next prime minister.

Speculation had suggested that Blair will quit his Sedgefield parliamentary seat in order not to overshadow his successor from the backbenches.

But the Number 10 spokesman said "that's wrong".

Most recent prime ministers have carried on in the Commons until the following general election or longer.

And Blair's constituency agent in the Sedgefield seat also said he knew nothing about any plans to break with the precedent.

John Burton said he thought it was unlikely. "He has always told me I would be the first to know," he told Sky News.

"I think he would only stand down as an MP if he had a massive international job to do, he wouldn't just go. He wouldn't treat the electorate like that."

Blair is not expected to take a peerage when he retires so would have to apply to his successor as prime minister in order to be able to leave Parliament and trigger a by-election.

The process is known as "taking the Chiltern Hundreds" or "taking the Manor of Northstead" - a technical device to automatically disqualify him or her from holding a seat in the Commons.