People on benefits have an obligation to find work, says Blair

His comments came as he hosted a phone-in show on London's LBC radio as part of Labour's Big Conversation consultation about future policies.

He also agreed with a caller that the government needed to make it clearer that cannabis had not been legalised.

Other subjects tackled included crime, immigration and motoring fines.

He said he had enjoyed the experience of being a radio DJ, adding: "It is always better when you are actually talking to people direct."

Work shy?

Mr Blair made his remarks on the unemployed after caller Tess, from Uxbridge, questioned why people who have never claimed benefit should fund those who have no intention of working.

Why should they keep paying in ... for those who don't want to go out and work, who don't want to do anything and think this country owes them a living? Tess Caller from Uxbridge

She urged the prime minister to consider giving a "no claims bonus" to be added on to the pension of citizens, like her father, who have never received benefit.

"There are thousands of people like him who receive no reward. They have paid in all their working life and they get nothing back," she told Mr Blair.

"Why should they keep paying in and paying in for those who don't want to go out and work, who don't want to do anything and think this country owes them a living?"

Benefit clampdown

Mr Blair said he understood her point, but questioned where the money would come from to fund a no claims bonus.

"I think the main thing is to say to people who are on benefit, but could work, 'we'll offer you a job, but your obligation is to take it or you don't get the benefit'.

Mr Blair took calls on all sorts of subjects

"That is actually what we are trying to do with the New Deal with the unemployed. That's the reason why we've got many fewer people on benefit now."

Asked what he thought had been the most thought-provoking part of his phone-in he said: "The most interesting thing is people's view that if you claim benefit you should have some obligation to do your best to get into work and that we should help people, whether it's through child care and other ways.

"It shouldn't be a something for nothing deal. There should be something for something - that's an interesting idea."

Mr Blair was also asked by Tom, in Bromley, to reconsider the government's stance towards the downgrading of cannabis.

'Confusion' over drugs

He called for the prime minister to send the "strongest possible message", particularly to teenagers, "that the government is totally opposed to its use".

"My own teenage daughter has said to me: 'Well, the government thinks it's okay'," he said.

It's extremely important that in making sure the police conduct the work they are doing on hard drugs, we do not send the wrong message Tony Blair

Mr Blair agreed there had been "some confusion" over government efforts to reclassify the drug from Class B to Class C.

He said the move had been made to free up police to pursue the dealers of harder drugs.

"Cannabis remains an illegal drug and people can be arrested for its use and the police retain their powers in respect of it," he said.

"It's extremely important that in making sure the police conduct the work they are doing on hard drugs, we do not send the wrong message," he added.

'Bigoted'

Mr Blair was also pressed by Peter, from Chelsea, to explain his immigration policies.

The caller said he was a "law-abiding person", who "used to be a liberal person", but was now "an angry and bigoted" one because of the numbers of people coming into the UK "living on free money".

The prime minister insisted that immigration laws were "strict", but there had been a "problem" with the numbers of people seeking asylum who were actually economic migrants.

He said legislation was being introduced to deal with this, adding that numbers claiming asylum were half of what they used to be.

"This is not an issue we're ignoring - we are working on it," he said.