Tony Blair has admitted there were "real problems" in his relationship with Gordon Brown over the last decade.

In his first significant comments since leaving Number 10, the former prime minister also denied that he was forced to step down.

In a documentary to be shown on the BBC next week, he confirmed that plans had been drawn up to dismantle the Treasury.

But Blair also stressed that "by and large" he had worked with his chancellor "for the good of the country".

"Obviously the relationship between myself and Gordon was a different type of political relationship than most between prime ministers and chancellors, that's true," he said.

"And it's also true, no point being silly about it, there were tensions from time to time."

He added: "When you're prime minister, you're aware that other people may want to succeed you and I always used to say to people it's not an ignoble ambition.

"I mean why shouldn't he want to be prime minister?

"The important thing is to make sure that in the meantime we work together for the good of the country, as by and large - although I'm not saying there weren't real problems along the way - by and large, I think that's what happened."

The former prime minister said he considered stepping down before the 2005 general election, but decided against it in order to see through his public service reform programme.

"I'd really got, you know, the reins between my hands at that point and wanted to see it through," he said.

"It's not that I couldn't have gone on for a little longer, I probably could. But the fact is that 10 years is a long time."