RAF Lyneham houses the ageing Hercules

An RAF base threatened with closure has been handed a possible lifeline.

The Prime Minister has praised RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire for its work in the Iraq war.

Answering a Commons question by North Wiltshire Conservative MP James Gray, Tony Blair said he had no doubt it would be involved in future conflicts.

"The families have been extraordinary in their support for our armed services.

"I understand the very important role they have played in the conflict," he said.

Transport fleet

At the height of the war Mr Blair visited the base and met the families of the men and women fighting in the Gulf.

During the war Hercules aircraft from the base flew hundreds of sorties into Iraq supplying the British troops on the ground.

The Ministry of Defence wants to close the base and transfer the entire transport fleet to RAF Brize Norton in nearby Oxfordshire.

Such a move, it was argued, would leave a massive �10m hole in the local economy.

The Iraq War may have saved Lyneham at the last minute.