Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith was in electioneering mode going on the offensive over the state of finance in some primary schools which are facing difficulties over a lack of funds coming through.

Mr Blair was forced to admit that some schools were facing funding problems but added that across the board they had got a 12% cash increase.

Mr Duncan Smith quoted criticism from a Downing Street adviser over the state of some schools.

The Tory leader later asked the prime minister why Britain was not represented at a meeting of four EU countries which discussed European defence initiative which the UK had help launch.

Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy challenged Mr Blair over the difficulties with the new child tax credit.

Other subjects raised included: job losses at Corus steel plants, funding of public services, the Iraq war, the election battle in Wales, council tax levels and the Northern Ireland peace process.

Speaker Michael Martin warned Labour MP and barrister Vera Baird that she was not in the courts when she attempted to ask two questions instead of the usual one.

The words "ducks" and "shooting gallery" leapt to mind.

The opposition parties lined 'em up and the prime minister, now quite at home with deadly weapons, blasted at them.

There were feathers everywhere. Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes and Tory backbencher Sir Peter Tapsell were among those leaving the chamber after their tail feathers had been blown off.

Simon Hughes made the mistake of asking about the council tax - which allowed the prime minister to refer to a Lib Dem briefing document urging their people not to talk about the party's policy of a local income tax.

And Sir Peter demanded the prime minister's resignation for misleading the public about Saddam's weapons of mass destruction.

Mr Blair loved this one. He clearly believes beyond any doubt that the weapons will be found and that Sir Peter - and a large chunk of the anti-war lobby - will have to "eat their words."

On the ropes

Then there was IDS. He started well by focusing on the stinging rebuke handed to the prime minister over education funding from one of his closest Downing Street advisers, Fiona Millar.

The prime minister's discomfort was clear. He was concerned, Fiona was sort of right but.... you could hear him lining up the likely excuse (due on Friday from Education Secretary Charles Clarke) that it was those awful local councils who were refusing to spend the money properly. And probably Tory ones at that.

It didn't work and the Tory leader had him on the ropes.

You could tell because the prime minister resorted to the old trick of saying that the Tories would be worse because they planned an across the board 20% cut in funding.

But then the Tory leader attempted to ridicule the prime minister for starting the idea of creating a Euro army only to have other countries, notably France and Germany running off with it to create a rival to Nato.

Not so, said the prime minister. They were so fed up with his plans they had to go off in a little huddle themselves to try and cook up their own alternative.

That had left Britain in the majority of 11 in Europe, he declared.

Then the second barrel. "That is why it is good we were not there. He agrees with me. Agreement is a good thing."