BBC NEWS | UK | Politics | Blair's Saddam warning

Tony Blair has repeated his belief that Saddam Hussein has to be dealt with before the Iraqi leader unleashes weapons of mass destruction on the world.

And he refused to back calls for a vote in Parliament in the event of action against Iraq.

If there is a gathering threat or danger, let us deal with it before it materialises rather than afterwards

Tony Blair
Mr Blair was making history as the first prime minister to appear before the influential liaison committee of senior MPs.

Questioned about Saddam Hussein's alleged programme to develop weapons of mass destruction, Mr Blair said the lesson from 11 September "is that if there is a gathering threat or danger, let us deal with it before it materialises rather than afterwards".

Crusade

He stressed that no decisions had been taken, adding: "There is a threat ... the options are open, but we do have to deal with it."

Mr Blair also appealed for his political rivals to join him in an all-party crusade on transport, pensions and housing.

Quizzed on a range of subjects from spin doctors and public services to Iraq, Mr Blair rejected claims that he has adopted a presidential style of leadership.

He also warned his Labour colleagues that if they failed to deliver improved public services before the next election, "people will hold us heavily to account".

Downing Street hopes the session will help dispel accusations that the prime minister is becoming less accountable to Parliament.

Mr Blair said there were three areas where he would like to see a cross-party consensus.

Pain

"One is transport, the other is pensions, the other is housing and I think in all three areas it would be better if we were able to have some cross party consensus that would survive governments in dealing with them," he told the MPs.

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Shirt sleeve order: Mr Blair makes a point
"The political pain in dealing with them is enormous whatever government is in power."

Mr Blair defended the decision to bring in advisers such as Lord Birt to come up with "blue skies" ideas on areas like transport.

Delivery

Mr Blair rejected a suggestions his government is dogged by spin in the way the Tories had been hampered by sleaze allegations.

When you are in opposition for 18 years as we were there is a tendency to believe the announcement is the reality

Tony Blair
But he agreed there were problems in the way the government tried to deliver its message in the early days.

"When you are in opposition for 18 years as we were there is a tendency to believe the announcement is the reality - and in opposition in many ways it is as you are never in a position to deliver anything on the ground," he said.

"For the first period of time in government there was a tendency to believe the same situation applied.

"It isn't. The announcement is only the intention.

Frustration

"Doing it this way, making sure we have more ministerial statements, trying to reach out, is a way of overcoming what is the perception, I think unfairly, of news management."

I am not disputing the fact that we have strengthened the centre considerably but I say that is the right thing to do

Tony Blair
He added: "The most frustrating thing about modern politics is the difference between what you know you spend most of your time thinking about and working on and what the outside public think you spend most of your time thinking about and working on."

Mr Blair defended the role of special advisers - often referred to as spin doctors - saying only a few were involved in briefing the media.

And he rejected a suggestion from Labour chairman Charles Clarke that there were too many politically appointed advisers.

He said the idea that policies were often decided by special advisers was "absurd".

Relevant

Mr Blair said it was "unfair and wrong" to suggest he had a presidential style and said he made "no apology" for strengthening the role of the prime minister's office within government.

"I am not disputing the fact that we have strengthened the centre considerably but I say that is the right thing to do," he said.

He told the MPs that Parliament had to try to be more relevant to people's lives.

He admitted that prime minister's questions in the Commons was 80% theatre - although he insisted that it was an excellent of holding government to account.

The prime minister will appear before the liaison committee again in six months time.

Consummate performer

Speaking afterwards, Labour Public Administration Committee chair Tony Wright Dr Tony Wright, who was among the senior MPs grilling the prime minister, said he thought it had "gone well".

But he said the MPs "should probably do even better next time."

"We were both exploring the territory. I think the prime minister was wondering what he could get out of it and we were wondering how we were going to organise it," he told BBC Radio 4's The World at One.

He said Mr Blair had been "at the top of his game" and was a "consummate performer on these occasions".

The MPs should "probably do less subjects and do them in a more in-depth way" next time.

What do you think of Tony Blair's performance?

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He seems to have answered the questions in a less political, more understandable way, without trying to dress up any sore points with jargon.

It's faux accountability on a grand scale

Paul Morgan, England
I suppose the edge is taken off his performance when you realise that, although he answered well, it was more than a little scripted and so I would be surprised if it were possible for him to have made any mistakes at all.

Having said that, cynicism still can't get around the fact that he did answer all of the questions in a (personally) satisfactory way, scripted or not.
Q, UK/Germany

On the surface the question and answer session seemed to be a very good idea.

If it were expanded so there was a session like it every 6 months and the questions did not have to be pre-approved it would be a great idea.
Mark, England

It's faux accountability on a grand scale.

Blair will not change his mind on any matter, so why bother coming before MPs with questions that he's already rehearsed the answers to.

Why not have a panel of real people selected randomly from the UK who can ask their own questions and actually grill the prime minister and make him account for his policies, instead of the fawning idiots that bark but cannot bite!
paul morgan, England

I thought the Prime Minister was well presented, well briefed, courteous to his questioners and supremely confident in his own abilities.

The backlash has started and he needs to start treating us with respect

D Evans, UK
In other words he behaved in much the same manner as he usually does, though the media usually presents this reality filtered through it's own set of biases.
Steven Efstathiou, London UK

He is devious, manipulative and hypocritical.

Stealthy and ever increasing taxes and spin spin spin seem the order of the day.

They seem to try and 'get away' with as much as they can.

The electorate feels deceived and duped and new policies such as taxing congestion (a genius solution...) whilst public transport is already expensive & fuel over-taxed do not endear the electorate.

The backlash has started and he needs to start treating us with respect, not as pawns in a political game if he is to retain a further term in office...
D Evans, uk