LONDON, May 20 (UPI) -- Britain's next prime minister plans to announce within his first 100 days in power that he will withdraw more troops from Iraq, it was reported Sunday.
Gordon Brown is to replace Tony Blair as prime minister in late June.
Brown plans to boost his popularity in the opinion polls by reversing Blair's support for the war, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
President George W. Bush has been briefed on Brown's plan, the newspaper said. Britain has been Bush's main ally in Iraq since the start of the war in March 2003.
The number of British soldiers in Iraq is being reduced from 7,100 at the start of this year to 5,500, but there has been no official timetable for a complete withdrawal.
Nigel Griffiths, a former minister and a close ally of Brown's, has called for a quicker withdrawal of British troops.
"We should get out of Iraq as soon as is practicable," Griffiths said. "We should consult the Iraqi government, but they cannot have a veto. This cannot be delayed."
